Press Releases
Farmers in Lucas County could be eligible for drought-related disaster assistance under an emergency designation that was issued by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Nine Ohio counties were added to the disaster list, including Defiance, Fulton and Henry. Benefits are available for 11 contiguous counties, which include Lucas, Wood and Williams.
Farm operators in the primary and contiguous counties are eligible to be considered for certain assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.
Congresswoman Kaptur said the Lorain County Regional Airport has received an award of $246,465 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to rehabilitate the existing taxiway pavement that has reached the end of its useful life.
“The airport is the front door to the community,” said Congresswoman Kaptur. “In an era of multi-modal transportation, a top quality airport is crucial to economic development.”
Average basic premiums for Medicare prescription drug plans are expected to remain constant next year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The average 2013 monthly premium is expected to be $30.
This is good news for seniors who depend on prescription drug coverage under Part D of Medicare. “Thanks to the new health care law, which starts to close the donut hole, millions of Americans are now saving money on their prescription drugs,” said Congresswoman Kaptur. “More than five million Americans saved almost $4 billion on prescription drugs since the law was enacted.”
The Affordable Care Act is "a home run" for seniors, Congresswoman Kaptur said during a telephone town hall meeting on Medicare and Social Security.
The new health care law, Congresswoman Kaptur said, "actually expands the ability of seniors to obtain care," and provides a host of free preventive services such as mammograms, prostate exams, colonoscopies, and diabetes screenings.
She said more than a million Ohioans have already taken advantage of the free preventive services provided by Obamacare.
"The whole intention of the law is to relieve some of the worries that seniors face," Congresswoman Kaptur said.
Congresswoman Kaptur issued the following statement about the bus explosion, an apparent terrorist attack, that claimed the lives of at least six Israeli tourists in Bulgaria:
The horrific terrorist attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria must be condemned in the strongest terms and those responsible for this atrocity must be brought to justice.
Just yesterday, the House of Representatives expressed our ongoing commitment to the security of Israel and the Israeli people.
The DISCLOSE Act would require the organizations that are flooding the airwaves with political commercials to reveal their funding sources.
“Senate Republicans voted for secrecy over transparency,” said Congresswoman Kaptur.
Congresswoman Kaptur has renewed her call to defend Lake Erie from the Asian carp by separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds.
Her comments came after the Michigan and Ohio natural resources departments jointly announced that water samples taken last year from the Sandusky Bay in Ohio and North Maumee Bay in Michigan had tested positive for Asian carp environmental DNA.
"The best defense against this dangerous invasive species is to restore the natural separation between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. We must protect our precious Lake Erie fishery from this threat," Congresswoman Kaptur said.
Congresswoman Kaptur this afternoon urged House colleagues to oppose provisions in the proposed five-year farm bill that would deny Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) to three million Americans.
“The farm bill takes food off the table of up to three million Americans and asks nothing of millionaires and billionaires. What a shame,” Congresswoman Kaptur said on the floor of the House.
Majority Republicans would “literally take food out of the mouths of children, seniors, the unemployed (and) the disabled,” she said, while allowing Wall Street speculators and bankers to keep all their bonuses.
“Surely this Congress can do better.”
Toledo-based ProMedica Physician Group, Inc. is one of four organizations in Ohio to have been selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide better care for Medicare beneficiaries at a lower cost.
ProMedica Physician Group was one of 89 providers in the country that began participation in the new Medicare Shared Savings Program on July 1.
“This innovative cost-saving program is based on coordinated care for our Medicare recipients,” said Congresswoman Kaptur. “Coordinated care can mean better service for Medicare beneficiaries while saving taxpayer dollars.”
“We want to protect the middle class,” she said, noting that President Obama has repeatedly advocated lightening “the burden on the middle class.”
Congresswoman Kaptur said the economy is recovering in Ohio and other states, particularly with the rebound in the auto sector.
She said Democrats have consistently supported extending tax cuts for the middle-income families to help keep the recovery alive. “It’s pretty clear that we want to keep the economy growing,” she said.