Last week I was appointed to be the Ranking Member of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health.  Ranking Members are the leaders of committees and subcommittees for the minority party in Congress.  The Health Subcommittee oversees the Medicare program and provisions of the tax code pertaining to health care, as well as regulations affecting health insurance plans offered by large employers.  Health care is one of the most important issues facing our district and our nation today and I'm honored to accept the privilege of leading the subcommittee.

It is abundantly clear that the health care system in America is broken and we need significant reform to fix it.  We need to increase transparency, competitiveness, and efficiency to make health care more affordable for all Americans.  As the lead Republican, I will continue my strong support for a system that keeps bureaucrats away from medical decisions and instead places the power in the hands of patients and their doctors.  In addition, our communities are home to the highest share of Medicare-eligible individuals among California's 53 congressional districts.  I will work to protect senior citizens' access to health care and to place the Medicare program on a sound financial footing for the future.