Southern West Virginia News

Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) participated in a Ways and Means Committee Field Hearing in Salt Lake City, Utah, to discuss the importance of enhancing medical innovation. The hearing aimed to ensure that patients in West Virginia and across America have access to quality health care.

Miller addressed the barriers faced by End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients and highlighted how technology has benefited these individuals. "I represent West Virginia, where access to care and innovation can be a challenge for all of our patients. An issue that I am particularly passionate about is care for patients with End Stage Renal Disease," she stated.

She emphasized the difficulties rural ESRD patients encounter when accessing dialysis services. "Many ESRD patients in my district have to travel for hours to a dialysis center... This burden on some of our most vulnerable patients is unbearable," Miller noted. She also mentioned her efforts in Congress to increase access to home dialysis for ESRD patients.

During the hearing, Miller questioned Kasey DeLynn Shakespear, a parent of a rare disease patient, about his experience providing medical care for his son, Isaac. Shakespear explained the challenges of coordinating care across multiple organizations: "Most of the burden for coordinating that care was falling on my wife and I."

Miller also engaged Frank Watanabe, President and CEO of Arcutis Biotherapeutics, on how President Trump's 21% corporate tax rate could benefit medical companies and innovation in the U.S. Watanabe responded by highlighting the significance of mergers and acquisitions within small biotech companies: "[Any change] that fosters the health of the overall biotechnology sector... will have a very positive effect on research and development."

The hearing underscored ongoing concerns about healthcare accessibility and innovation, especially in rural areas.

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