Chris Murphy: “two quick health care issues. Each year vaccinations save $52 billion in health care costs and 33,000 lives. However…”

“two quick health care issues. Each year vaccinations save $52 billion in health care costs and 33,000 lives. However, the government's policy of selecting the lowest bidder, combined with a fear of lawsuits, has driven manufacturers out of the United States. This contributed to last year's flu vaccine shortage, where 30 million doses were lost due when a foreign manufacturer's supply was contaminated. The U.S. Congress needs to follow through with incentives to secure more U.S.-based vaccine manufacturers. Secondly, today's news in the paper about Type II diabetes was disturbing. One point two million more cases appear per year, costing $132 billion. Type II diabetes is caused by poor diet and lack of exercise, and as Members of Congress we need to urge all Americans to make sure they take better care of themselves for this disease that causes stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness. The risks are huge. The costs are huge. The benefits are great if we take better care of ourselves. ____________________”