March 20, 2010

Dear Fourth District Constituents,

I want to thank all of my constituents who have taken time to call and visit my offices in recent weeks to share their views and concerns regarding the future of our nation's health care system. I appreciate hearing from each one of you and fully appreciate your involvement.

Please be assured that making our health care system more affordable, more accountable and more accessible continues to be one of my top priorities.

Today, more than 46 million Americans find themselves uninsured or underinsured. This is an unacceptable situation. I believe that every American must have access to quality, affordable health care regardless of age, income, job status, health condition or where they live. To reach this goal, I strongly believe that Congress must pass health care reform that makes coverage more accessible and affordable, reduces overall costs, stops the practice of denying coverage for preexisting conditions and strengthens Medicare.

I had many concerns about voting for the Senate passed healthcare bill.  In particular, I am opposed to a provision that would not allow undocumented immigrants to use their own money to buy health insurance in the exchanges.  I believe this is counter to public health and to justice. 

After many conversations with the President, I feel confident that he understands that germs don't respond to borders, germs respond to medicine and good preventative care.  I believe he agrees that if we are going to have health care that works, we need to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation to ensure that everyone has access to coverage and preventative care.

I also shared with the President that I believed that we could have a victory for every American who deserves affordable, high-quality health care and for the immigrants of our nation.   I am not willing to sacrifice either goal.  After extensive discussions, I believe we have a health care bill I can vote 'yes' for, and I believe we have a commitment to move forward on a comprehensive immigration reform package this year.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact me about this important issue. I will continue to weigh your views heavily as the health care debate continues and as we work towards a solution that makes health care more affordable, more accountable and more accessible for everyone.

Sincerely,

Luis V. Gutierrez
Member of Congress