Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) received the annual Joseph F. Boyle Award for Distinguished Public Service from the American College of Physicians (ACP) last night. The award is given to a government official or a physician acting in an official capacity who has provided outstanding public service toward improving the delivery of health care.
When presenting the award to Rep. Kaptur, David L. Bronson, MD, FACP, chairman of the ACP board of governors, cited her role in working with the College to propose changes, based in large part on ACP policy, to achieve universal access to health insurance. “Rep. Kaptur has stood with ACP in support of this proposal at a time when expanding comprehensive coverage to the uninsured was considered by many to not be politically feasible,” Dr. Bronson noted. “One of the more impressive characteristics about Rep. Kaptur is her willingness to reach across the aisle and work with Republican colleagues to promote effective strategies to expand coverage.”
Over the past three Congresses, Rep. Kaptur has worked closely with ACP in drafting and introducing the Health Coverage, Affordability, Responsibility and Equity Act (the HealthCARE Act). This legislation, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Steve LaTourett (R-Ohio), embodies the key provisions of ACP’s proposal of a Seven-Year Plan to Expand Access to Health Insurance for All Americans. She and her office have worked with ACP since 2003 in obtaining additional cosponsors for this and subsequent versions of the bill. She again sponsored the bill (HR 1399) in the 109th session of the House of Representatives in 2005, and co-sponsored it yet again as HR. 2351 in the 110th Congress. Her latest version also would help implement ACP policy to promote the use of the patient-centered medical home through SCHIP and Medicaid programs by encouraging states to adopt this model of care delivery. Rep. Kaptur continues to serve as its champion and prime advocate on Capitol Hill.
Congresswoman Kaptur is currently serving her 13th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the senior-most woman in Congress. She is the senior Democratic woman on the key House Appropriations Committee and also serves on the House Budget Committee. In addition, she serves on several subcommittees and has previously served on numerous other congressional committees and subcommittees.
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States. ACP members include more than 125,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internists specialize in the prevention, detection and treatment of illnesses in adults.
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