Congressman Joe Baca
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Healthcare

Good healthcare is necessary for a high quality of life and a strong economy. Yet over 217,000 children in my District are uninsured. I continue to advocate for the health care needs of the Inland Empire and much needed healthcare reform.

  • Health Security and Access – Access to health insurance benefits all Americans. I supported universal health care coverage that offers free access to all necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, and mental health services. I am committed to preserving the health security of the Inland Empire. (Bill#: H.R.676)


  • Affordable Health Care for America Act - The Affordable Health Care for America Act, which blends and updates the three versions of previous bills passed by the House committees of jurisdiction in July of 2009, embodies President Obama's key goals for health reform. Reforms include:


  • Funding for Rural Water Projects - In response to the water crisis, across the West, Reclamation will spend $200 million on construction of rural water projects for tribal and non-tribal rural water system construction with an emphasis on water intakes and water treatment plants.

    • No more co-pays or deductibles for preventive care.
    • No more rate increases for pre-existing conditions, gender, or occupation.
    • An annual cap on your out-of-pocket expenses.
    • More choice, with a high quality public health insurance option competing with private insurers.
    • The ability to keep the doctor and your current plan if you are happy with them.
    • Allows for patients and doctors to make healthcare decisions, not insurance companies.
    • More family doctors and nurses in the workforce to help guarantee access, including mental health services.
    • Ends coverage denials for pre-existing conditions. (H.R.3962, H.R. 3590, Passed by the House)

  • Strengthening Life-Saving Medical Research - In honor of Inland Empire resident Hardy Brown, last Congress I introduced the Hardy Brown PLS Awareness Month Resolution to increase awareness of a primary lateral sclerosis (PLS). PLS is a non-fatal motor neuron disorder similar to ALS-Lou Gehrig's disease. This Congress, I introduced a bill to fund research for PLS (Bill#: H.R. 804). I also supported raising awareness and in some cases advancing funding for more research for type 1 diabetes, mesothelioma, mental health, hepatitis, ovarian cancer, AIDS, psoriasis, arthritis, heart disease, and osteoporosis. (Breast Cancer action see Women's page)


  • Health Care for 11 million Children - Strongly advocated and voted to provide cost-effective health coverage for 4 million more children whose parents earn too little to provide their own insurance, but too much to qualify for Medicaid, and preserved coverage for 7 million children already enrolled. Action helps over 30,000 children in the 43rd Congressional District who lack insurance. (Signed into law)


  • Improved Health Care for our Veterans - Supported strengthening health care for more than 5 million veterans by investing 15% more than in 2009 for medical care, benefits claims processors, and facility improvements in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. For the first time, the legislation also includes advanced appropriations for FY 2011 to provide reliable and timely funding for veterans health care. (HR 3288, signed into Law)


  • Medicare Premium Fairness Act - Voted to protect 11 million seniors and cash-strapped states from unfair increases in their 2010 Medicare Part B premiums. These hikes would directly threaten the pocketbooks of 4 million new enrollees and retirees, as well as state budgets, which cover premiums for 7 million low-income seniors. There is no reason this burden should fall on seniors and people with disabilities, especially during difficult economic times. (H.R.3631, Passed by the House)


  • Help with Health Insurance for Unemployed Workers (COBRA) - Voted to extend through June 30, 2010 a key provision to strengthen COBRA to help maintain health coverage during this downturn. (It makes these benefits available for people who were involuntarily separated from their jobs through June 30, 2010 and extends the months of help from 9 months to 15 months.) About 7 million people benefited from this provision in the Recovery Act and hundreds of thousands who got this subsidy when it was first made available in March are currently slated to roll off the program. (H.R.2847, passed by the House)


  • HIV/AIDS - Proud to support and vote to reauthorize the Ryan White program for four years. The Ryan White program has been serving people with AIDS and HIV for nearly two decades. Today, the program provides care, treatment and support services to nearly half a million people – most of whom are low-income. Without this critical safety net, some of our nation's most vulnerable populations would not receive the care and treatment they need and rightfully deserve. (S.1793, passed by the House) Our nation must also focus on the unique needs of minority communities. I worked with my colleagues to address the unique treatment needs for diseases like cancer and HIV/AIDS where minorities are disproportionately affected. With accurate information and testing, the lives of our loved ones can be saved. (H.R.2137, H.R.4140)


  • FDA Regulation of Tobacco - Democrats granted the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the advertising, marketing, and manufacturing of tobacco products – the number-one cause of preventable death in America. (Signed into law)


  • The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 - Joined my colleagues in passing landmark legislation to fundamentally change the way we protect the safety of our food supply. This legislation closes the gaps exposed by the recent string of food-borne illness outbreaks and gives the Food and Drug Administration new authorities, tools, and funding. (Passed by the House)


  • Medicare Patients Access to Doctors - Supported legislation to preserve access to care for seniors, baby boomers and military families through repeal of the broken Medicare physician payment formula. I voted to repeal a 21 percent fee reduction scheduled for January 2010 and replace the physician payment formula with a more stable system that ends the unrealistic cycle of threats of ever-larger fee cuts followed by short-term patches. (H.R. 3961, passed by the House)


  • Supporting State Medicaid Programs - Led a legislative action and co-sponsored legislation to extend Medicaid assistance to states like California that are struggling to pay for Medicaid services. Congress extended assistance approved in the Recovery Act an additional year for all states that need help paying for Medicaid. This federal assistance will allow states to meet their Medicaid and education obligations without cutting programs more deeply, thereby avoiding the adverse economic effects. The Jobs for Main Street Act extended the provisions in the Recovery Act that provide the states with additional federal matching funds for Medicaid for six months – from December 31, 2010 to June 30, 2011. (H.R. 2847, H.R.4263)


  • Early Hearing Detection and Intervention - Supported the passage of H.R. 1246, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act, which reauthorizes through FY 2015 the critical Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program, which is intended to identify and help infants with hearing loss, and expands it to provide intervention and screening services for young children (the program is currently limited to newborns and infants). (H.R.1246, passed by the House)


  • Emergency Medical Services for Children - Voted to reauthorizes through FY 2014 and improves the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program, which is designed to improve emergency medical services for children needing trauma or critical care. (H.R. 479, passed by the House)


  • Vision Care for Kids - Supported the Vision Care for Kids Act, which creates a grant program to provide comprehensive eye exams for uninsured children with vision disorders, as well as vision correction services. (H.R. 577, passed by the House)


  • Postpartum Depression - Supported passage of the Melanie Blocker Stokes Mom's Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression, which authorizes funding for HHS to expand and intensify research on postpartum depression and also directs HHS to make grants to help with coordinating the effective delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum depression. (H.R. 20, passed by the House)


  • In-patient 340B Prescription Drug Program - Joined legislative efforts to assist our local safety-net hospitals' ability to be fiscally viable by advocating for the popular 340b out-patient program, to be available in an in-patient setting.


  • Ensuring Medicare Patient's Needs of Durable Medical Equipment - Supported letters and co-sponsored legislation to investigate the issue, end the current bidding program and secure the needs of our Medicare patients for durable medical equipment. If left unfixed, the current bidding system for equipment contracts may lead to adverse affects to the service and quality of products given to our Medicare patients. (H.R.3790)


  • Nutrition Assistance - Voted to include funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to meet the growing demand for nutrition assistance from modest-income families and provides $400 million in additional funding for state administrative expenses, to speed up processing of applications. SNAP participation increased 18% in the last year to over 37 million people. Also, to help with assistance eligibility, voted to maintain the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines at 2009 levels through February 28, 2010 in order to prevent a reduction in eligibility for certain means-tested programs, including Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and child nutrition. (HR 3288, signed into Law)

Related Links

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