I was never more aware of the importance of health care than after my nephew was born with Down syndrome and had to have open heart surgery when he was just four months old. Thankfully, my sister’s family had insurance through her employer, and they were able to enroll him in an intervention program when he was just a few months old. Without the coverage they had, they never would have been able to afford the intensive care my nephew received.
I’m committed to making health care more affordable and more accessible for everyone. That’s why I’m fighting against efforts by Republicans to cut $880 billion in Medicaid in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires.
In Congress, I’ve made it my mission to find bipartisan solutions to the health care challenges our families and communities face every day.
- I introduced the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Act, a bipartisan bill to help people like my sister in navigating a child’s Down syndrome diagnosis and ensure that every child receives the high quality care they deserve. I’ve also led my colleagues in supporting funding for the Special Olympics — one of my nephew’s favorite activities.
- I’ve introduced the Rural America Health Corps Act to help bring more health care providers to rural communities and the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act to bring more of Medicare’s medical residency positions to communities like ours in Central and Southern Illinois.
- Prescription drugs are too expensive. And there’s no excuse for pharmaceutical companies to charge consumers hundreds of dollars for insulin. That’s why I’ve cosponsored the Affordable Insulin Now Act to cap the price of insulin at $35 a month for all patients, building on the Inflation Reduction Act’s insulin price cap for Medicare enrollees.
- I’m also proud to lead the Bringing Low-Cost Options and Competition while Keeping Incentives for New Generics (BLOCKING) Act, which would help bring more affordable generics to market – bringing down costs for consumers at the pharmacy counter.
