Our nation is home to the world's most advanced medical research enterprise and its most advanced medical technology. Our Fourth District universities, businesses, and research institutions are at the forefront of much of this work--to cure cancer, treat chronic diseases, and train world-class health care providers. But for too long, our best efforts to prevent disease and improve treatment have not translated into more affordable and accessible health care for many American families and small businesses.

In 2010, Congress changed that by passing the Affordable Care Act, which helps Americans access stable coverage, quality care, and affordable premiums and copayments -- without compromising the many strengths of our health care delivery system or adding to the budget deficit. Under the new law, the existing system of employer-provided coverage, which works well for millions of Americans, will be maintained and improved (information on how the ACA is already helping in the Fourth District is available here). If you have insurance through your employer, you can keep it, but you will have the peace of mind of knowing that losing or changing jobs won't mean losing access to affordable coverage. For the first time, individuals will control their own health care – not insurance companies. The new law prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage or care because of pre-existing conditions and bars them from imposing caps on benefits. And it requires them to cover young adults on their parents' plans until age 26.

For those that don't have insurance at work, the new law will allow small business owners, the self-insured, and the uninsured to purchase health insurance from private insurance companies through state-based insurance exchanges at the same low group rates that big businesses have always negotiated for their employees. Access to group rates is particularly important for small business owners, who are the primary engine of job creation in this country.

For seniors, the Affordable Care Act protects and improves Medicare. Guaranteed Medicare benefits are left intact in the new law, while the cost of health care for seniors is reduced by eliminating deductibles, copayments, and other cost-sharing for many preventive services and providing free annual wellness check-ups. In addition, the new law will close the Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole ," which affected more than 8 million seniors in 2007. Full drug coverage will be phased in over the next few years; in the meantime the drug prices seniors pay out-of-pocket will be cut in half.

The full text of the law can be found here.

As your Representative, I am committed to fully implementing the important reforms included in the Affordable Care Act, building on its successes and working to address any shortcomings . I am also committed to working through my role on the Appropriations Committee to protect the critical investments in the National Institutes of Health that have made our country, and the Fourth District, a global leader in health research and innovation. As Congress continues to debate these critical issues, I hope you will keep in touch with your views.

Rep. Price at a rally opposing efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act