State Rep. Charlie Brown advocates for extensive health care for Hoosiers

INDIANAPOLIS – Hoosiers will gain access to a wider variety of specialized health care resources due to the extensive legislative work of State Representative Charlie Brown (D-Gary).

Indiana House members have approved three separate measures from Brown that deal with health care-related issues.

The Office of Minority Health would no longer face the risk of being abolished under the provisions of House Bill 1358, authored by Brown. The bill will maintain the department past its July 1, 2014 expiration date with the support of the Minority Health Coalition.

“This office focuses on the health issues and concerns that are facing thousands of minorities across the state,” said Brown. “We do not need to be eliminating it at a time when health care concerns are so critical.”

The bill will ensure that people continue to receive the relevant coverage and information related to the particular health concerns that afflict minority populations. The bill will also make sure that the facility is able to keep its doors open in order to close the ever widening gap in medical resource usage.

In an effort to gain insight into the staggering statistics regarding the use of health care Brown coauthored House Bill 1335, which will implement a study committee to determine why there are inequities in medical usage.

“Currently, 78 percent of health care expenses are consumed by only 5 percent of the population,” said Brown. “The purpose of this study committee will be to figure out what is causing these trends and to decide what can be done to even out the disproportionate consumption of medical resources.”

Furthering his commitment to the health of all Hoosiers, Brown authored House Bill 1360, which will provide medical and emotional support for people suffering from addictions.

The program also includes alterations to current statutes and implements a loan forgiveness program for Hoosiers who choose to apply their addiction service skills in the state.

“We wanted to provide incentives to psychiatrists and psychologists who choose to use their skills to help the thousands of people in our state battling drug addiction,” said Brown. “We are already offering this program to other doctors and I think it’s important to provide the same incentive to individuals who choose to help addicts in our community.”

All three bills now move to the Indiana Senate for further action.