Making Health Care More Accessible and Affordable

Health care is a deeply personal issue to me.

My sister-in-law, Barb, died several years ago without health insurance. Barb and her husband both worked full-time, but they couldn’t afford health insurance and when she got sick, she couldn’t afford the most effective cancer treatment she needed to survive.

Even those who can afford insurance are not immune to the extremely high costs of operations and prescription medications.  A few months after my sister-in-law passed away, my brother Danny died, leaving behind a wife and two daughters.  His insurance would not cover his cancer treatment because an experimental drug was required.  No family should have to go through the suffering my family did. That’s why I’ve consistently supported legislation to make health care and prescription drugs more affordable and strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Another major issue across our nation are societal factors that lead to negative health outcomes, like access to care and racial disparities. We’ve seen this borne out in the 17th Congressional District, where many residents in Peoria lack access to healthy food following the closure of grocery stores. Many in the District also include lack of access to care caused by physician shortages and long drives to the doctor in rural areas. 

That’s why I have introduced the Social Determinants Accelerator Act, which would provide funding to communities to combat these issues and help drive positive health outcomes. As a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, I am committed to pushing for Health and Human Services funding that will improve access and quality of care in our communities.