HEALTH CARE

I have a proven track record of increasing the number of Arizonans with health insurance. In fact, when I first became a state representative, one of my very first major policy efforts was for the creation of a program called "Premium Sharing." This program used money from the state's tobacco tax to pay a portion of the health care costs for middle class Arizonans who made just a bit too much to qualify for welfare assistance. The remaining cost was paid by the person on a sliding scale according to their income level. This was a common sense solution to a real life problem.

This year, I sponsored legislation to increase health care coverage options for children whose parents are going through a divorce. I also supported ground-breaking legislation that requires insurance companies to cover services for children diagnosed with autism.

Two years ago, I worked with Walmart to make Arizona one of the first states in the nation to launch the $4 generic prescription. This revolutionary concept was adopted by many other pharmacies to provide affordable prescriptions to Arizonans.