Nick Rahall: “Throughout my career of public service, there have been a few critical challenges that have remained at the top of my…”

“Throughout my career of public service, there have been a few critical challenges that have remained at the top of my priority list; protecting our coal miners and our coal jobs and the need to provide our people with access to affordable, quality health care. Across southern West Virginia, especially in rural areas where senior populations are high, that challenge has been particularly daunting, because so many health insurance companies have been increasingly putting high profit margins above all else, even the compassionate treatment of the sick and the elderly. I have consistently spoken out against the abuses of and mistreatment by huge, for-profit health insurance companies. And I have advocated for competition, recognizing that it is good for consumers and drives down prices for all buyers, while driving up quality of service. At the same time, I have consistently stood against the use of federal funds to pay for abortions--a stand I took again when I worked to have anti-abortion language included in the original House-passed health care bill.”