Health Care

Congresswoman Lee believes that access to affordable, quality health care is a fundamental human right. As a psychiatric social worker, Congresswoman Lee strongly supports the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed into law in 2010. Already, the ACA has made positive changes by putting health care choices back in the hands of families and prohibiting lifetime limits on coverage.The ACA has improved the lives of millions, including young people who can now stay on their parents’ health plans until age twenty-six; women who can’t be charged more for health care simply because of their gender; and people with pre-existing conditions who can no longer be denied medical insurance.

However, there is still work to be done. Congresswoman Lee believes that the current status quo in health care, which emphasizes treatment over prevention, is broken. Instead, Rep. Lee has long been an advocate for a system of care which prioritizes prevention, guarantees choice in doctors, and helps eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. She’s working to secure substantial investments to train new generations of health professionals and expand the availability of health facilities throughout our nation.

During the Affordable Care Act debate, Congresswoman Lee served as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and worked to secure the reauthorization and advancement of the Office of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, the elevation of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), as well as an increase in funding for community health centers, and an expansion of access to primary health care to help reach the most vulnerable.  Congresswoman Lee believes that no one – regardless of their race, socioeconomic background, or immigration status – should have to choose between necessary medical treatments and keeping a roof over their families’ heads.

Priorities:

• Supporting Community Health Centers: Congresswoman Lee has championed increasing funding for community health centers. In low-income communities, these health centers are a vital lifeline for families. By expanding access to community health centers, we can improve the health of people living in underserved communities through quality primary and preventive care services. As a longtime advocate for low-income and communities of color, Congresswoman Lee has witnessed first-hand the important role these care centers play for millions of families across the country.   
• Ending Racial and Economic Health Disparities: In the last century, we’ve made unprecedented progress in detecting, treating, and curing illnesses. These advances have saved countless lives, but many communities have been excluded from our nation’s progress in health care, particularly low-income communities and communities of color. Congresswoman Lee supports a comprehensive approach to addressing health disparities through a combination of research, preventative care, investments in community health centers, protection and expansion of the social safety net, and targeted outreach in underserved communities. Congresswoman Lee is a strong advocate for the Office of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, which is dedicated to closing health gaps and developing policies that improve health in communities of color.  
• Supporting the Prevention and Public Health Fund: The Affordable Care Act established the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support efforts to improve health in states and communities. The fund focuses on proven initiatives to improve health care outcomes, including preventive care, health education, and essential research. Congresswoman Lee is continuing to fight for this important program, which will prioritize the prevention of chronic and acute conditions and help close health care disparities in underserved communities.
• Real Education for Healthy Youth Act: Congresswoman Lee firmly believes that all students should have access to potentially life-saving health and sex education programs. That is why she has introduced H.R. 725, a bill that authorizes grants for comprehensive and medically appropriate sex education programs so that American youth can make educated decisions about their health and relationships. This legislation, which is inclusive of LGBT students, would provide students with the information to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections, and would end federal spending on ineffective and incomplete abstinence-only sex education programs.  
• Restoring and Expanding Funding for Medical Research and Innovation: The National Institutes of Health conduct lifesaving research to combat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and diabetes. Congresswoman Lee is committed to seeing that the National Institutes of Health are fully funded in order to capitalize on new scientific opportunities and maintain America’s position as a leader in medical research.
• Protecting Safety Net Programs: Programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Ryan White Program, including the Minority AIDS Initiative and the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, all play a major role in ensuring that our nation’s most medically and financially vulnerable populations have access to critical health care services and treatments. Congresswoman Lee has been a bold and vocal advocate for these programs. She is a leading critic of ongoing attempts by congressional Republicans to eviscerate the social safety net, and as a member of the House Budget Committee, Congresswoman Lee has been integral in advocating for a fair budget that would protect these programs for the long term.

Accomplishments:

• HIV/AIDS Advocacy: Since taking office, Congresswoman Lee has sponsored or cosponsored every major piece of legislation addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis internationally and domestically. The congresswoman also cofounded, and now serves as the co-chair, of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus. Congresswoman Lee is dedicated to ensuring every person living with HIV/AIDS has access to quality medical care and lifesaving medication. She firmly believes that through investments in prevention and medical research, we can stop the spread of the disease and achieve an AIDS-free generation.
• Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Healthcare Task Force: As current Co-Chair of the Health Task Force for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congresswoman Lee has highlighted the health care challenges and disparities faced by Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. In addition, the congresswoman has worked to advance initiatives that will improve health care access for all communities of color, and works closely with the Tri-Caucus (Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus) to accomplish this. Congresswoman Lee is also committed to ensuring that all individuals have access to linguistically and culturally appropriate health care.