U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier’s career as a pediatrician in Issaquah is clearly driving her priorities as the representative for the 8th Congressional District.
She wants to restore the cutbacks to healthcare, imposed by The Trump administration, and wants to lower healthcare costs. Informed by her knowledge of the arcane aspects of preauthorization, reimbursements and practice challenges, she has trained her attention on how to strengthen practices, expand access to Medicare and lower prescription medication costs, problems that bedevil nearly all Americans.
In July, the Sammamish Democrat joined forces with Reps. John Joyce and Greg Murphy, both Republicans and physicians, to introduce The Patients First Act. The bill would “reform the Medicare physician fee schedule, improving seniors’ access to care,” according to a news release.
“Our nation is in a primary care crisis, and if we don’t act swiftly to reform the system, patients will lose access to care, costs will rise and physician practices will continue to close,” Schrier said.
In September, she introduced a bill that would drop the price of insulin to $35 for all Americans, which is the same as the Medicare cost.
Schrier’s 8th District service is also shaped by the diverse needs of her district, which has become more rural since she was elected in 2012, covering parts of King, Pierce, Snohomish, Chelan and Kittitas counties. That means she is focusing not just on urban issues but the challenges in agriculture (think tariffs, fuel and fertilizer prices) and national forests (Chelan is 82% forest and she adamantly supports the roadless rule that the Trump administration has targeted.)
That has made her committed to finding bipartisan solutions that remember the needs of her constituents, the urban and the rural.
Congress needs more of that — solutions for all Americans.
The doctor is in. Send Schrier back to Congress.
