Health Care

Fixing the Broken Health Care System

The price of health care in the United States has risen steadily for several decades. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. spent $4.3 trillion on health care in 2021. I am committed to lowering out-of-pocket costs and strengthening transparency and accountability in drug pricing. It is time for Congress to put partisan politics aside and work on bipartisan solutions that incentivize more competition and ensure patients get the earliest possible access to affordable prescription drugs. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I have been actively working to address this important issue and have participated in hearings looking at health care costs.

Increasing Choice

As we look to increase choices for health care, I have introduced H.R. 2868, Association Health Plans Act, to empower small businesses to provide their employees greater access to quality, affordable health care. By allowing small businesses to band together through association health plans, we can lower health care costs for working families.

Ending Surprise Billing

Surprise billing occurs when a patient visits an out-of-network care facility or even when they are at an in-network facility but are seen by a doctor who is not in their network. While a hospital may be in-network, if the specific doctor or specialist is not, the patient may be left to pay the price of the treatment. I supported Congressional efforts to eliminate surprise billing and hold patients harmless in situations where, through no fault of their own, they receive a surprise medical bill. President Trump signed legislation to end surprise billing into law through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which incorporated many of the policies from the legislation.

Expanding Telehealth Services

I introduced H.R. 824, Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act, which allows employers to offer stand-alone telehealth benefits to all employees. This bipartisan legislation would provide more flexibility and allow Americans to access quality care from their own homes.

Fighting the Opioid Epidemic

Combating the opioid crisis is a leading priority for me and my colleagues in Congress and requires an all-hands-on-deck response. In June 2018, the House passed H.R.6, SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which encompasses the House’s collective effort to address opioid abuse. H.R 6 was then signed into law in October 2018. Supported by over 161 patient advocacy groups, H.R.6 is the largest legislative response to date to fight the opioid epidemic. Click here to learn more about my actions to combat this public health crisis. I recently cosponsored the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act which continues to support and builds upon the successful programs in the original bill.

Protecting Health for Women, Children, and the Vulnerable

I supported a six-year reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – the longest in the program’s history- assisting in the health care needs of 7,000 low-income children in Michigan’s 5th district. In 2018, President Trump signed it into law.

In July 2023, the Energy and Commerce Committee passed, with my support, the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act, which would disseminate best practices to healthcare providers, including hospitals, and perinatal quality collaboratives, among others, on ways to prevent maternal deaths and illness.

Additionally, I was proud to champion the Medicaid Patient Abuse Prevention Act, which removed federal barriers so state attorneys general could investigate and prosecute cases of abuse or neglect regardless of where the abuse occurred. My bill was signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Protecting Medicare

The Trustees for Medicare predict that the program will go bankrupt by 2028, resulting in immediate cuts to Medicare for seniors. Additionally, Obamacare raided more than $800 billion from Medicare.

We must keep our promise to the 50 million Americans who rely on Medicare and work to save and strengthen Medicare for current seniors and future recipients. In February 2023, I introduced legislation, H.R. 853, which would protect future surpluses by creating a lockbox that prevents these funds from being spent on other federal programs.

Promoting Medical Research and Life-Saving Cures

Groundbreaking research and innovation are happening all around us, particularly in health care. Unfortunately, existing government rules cannot keep pace with these scientific developments.

That is why I supported the 21st Century Cures Act in November 2016. This landmark legislation increases investment in medical research, streamlines outdated bureaucracy, and expedites the development of new cures and treatments. Additionally, I supported passage of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health, which supports research in high-risk breakthrough technologies in health and medicine that are not being addressed by the private sector or current federal programs.

Modernizing the Mental Health Care System

Mental health continues to be an area of concern for many Americans. In February 2023, 32-percent of U.S. adults reported symptoms anxiety and/or depression.

To increase access to mental health care, I cosponsored the TREAT Act, which would allow telehealth providers to provide care across state lines. This act would vastly increase options for patients to receive the mental health care they need. It would also accelerate the modernization of our health care system by allowing patients and providers to use digital tools to conveniently address health issues.