Health Care
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
For decades, Democrats have fought to make affordable health care available for all Americans. When President Obama took office, skyrocketing health care costs were crippling small business, bankrupting working families, and making health care inaccessible for millions of Americans. Last March, Democrats enacted the Affordable Care Act in order to reduce health care costs, expand access to care, and hold insurance companies accountable. Although it will take time to fully implement, many reforms have already begun to go into effect. Many of the worst insurance industry practices have been ended, and families and businesses are beginning to see benefits.
Health Care Reform
On March 21, 2010, Congresswoman Richardson voted in favor of health care reform legislation. The legislation was passed in the Senate and signed into law by President Obama. Health care reform will benefit the nation and the constituents of California's 37th District, by:
- Putting American families and small business owners - not insurance companies - in control of their own health care
- Making health insurance affordable for middle class and small businesses - one of the largest tax cuts for health care in history - reducing premiums and out-of-pocket costs
- Holding insurance companies accountable to keep premiums down and prevent denials of care and coverage, including pre-existing conditions
- Strengthens Medicare and lowers prescription drug costs
- Creates up to 4 million jobs, largely in small businesses
- Reduces deficit by the largest amount in almost two decades, reining in waste, fraud and abuse
- Expands access to preventative care, fights health disparities and strengthens the focus on minority health
Health Care for Children
In 2009, Congresswoman Laura Richardson supported State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization. This legislation:
- provides cost-effective health coverage for 4 million more children and preserves coverage for 7 million children already enrolled
- estimated to cover 1.5 million Hispanic children who previously did not have health insurance
Protecting and Strengthening Medicare
The Medicare program has been vital in providing seniors with the care that they need and Congresswoman Richardson is dedicated to strengthening and improving Medicare services.
In April 2011, the House passed a budget resolution (H.Con.Res.34) that threatened Medicare as we know it. The proposal, introduced by Republican Budget Committee Chairman Congressman Paul Ryan, replaces the current Medicare program with a voucher program that would force seniors to buy their own costly private insurance. Congresswoman Richardson voted against this resolution and remains opposed to legislation that would increase the cost of health care to seniors. The Senate voted against this budget resolution in May 2011.