Health Care
Left: The first class of nurses from the Coastal Bend College nursing program in Alice, who will help to offset the shortage of trained nurses in the area. Rep. Hinojosa’s efforts were key to bringing the program to Alice.
Congressman Hinojosa is committed to increasing the access to quality health care in our nation, and especially in Texas. He knows that the health of a community is crucial to its educational and economic success. Hinojosa approaches health care solutions from within the community and from Capitol Hill.
He supported the Affordable Health Care Act that builds on what works in today’s health care system and fixes the parts that are broken. It protects current coverage – allowing individuals to keep the insurance they have if they like it – and preserves choice of doctors, hospitals, and health plans.
As a result, two dozen community health centers in the 15th District are now receiving millions of dollars in new funding that will allow them to treat thousands of new patients.
Over a quarter of a million South Texans are now seeing improvements in their current health care coverage. Close to 30,000 South Texans with pre-existing conditions are able to obtain health coverage. Nearly 11,000 small businesses in South Texas are receiving tax credits to help make health insurance more affordable for their employees. Close to 200,000 South Texas families are now receiving tax credits to help make health insurance more affordable to them.
Over 90,000 Medicare beneficiaries will see better care and will pay less for prescription drugs because the Medicare Part D donut hole has been closed. The Affordable Health Care Act strengthens the Medicare Program by providing preventive medical check-ups for seniors. Our veterans can also rest assured that there were no changes to VA, DOD or TRICARE benefits.
Parents can now keep their adult children on their own health insurance plans until they reach the age of 26. This means at least 66,000 young South Texans will be able to have health insurance at a cost that does not over burden the family budget.
Since coming to Congress in 1997, Hinojosa has brought millions of dollars in federal funding to the 15th Congressional District to build new health facilities, expand existing ones and support programs that keep Texans healthy. His assistance has been key in projects such as the Driscoll Children’s Specialty Center in McAllen, the Vannie Cook Pediatric Cancer Clinic, Nuestra Clinica del Valle, and the Shepherd’s Community Health Center in Beeville. He has fought for Veterans to have access to surgical care in the Rio Grande Valley instead of having to travel 250 miles to San Antonio and was instrumental in bringing the newly opened, high-tech, multi-story VA Medical Center to Harlingen.
Congressman Hinojosa has championed legislation that will improve the health care system for all Americans. He is a member of the Congressional Rural Health Caucus because he understands that rural communities face unique challenges in attracting health professionals and in developing quality facilities. He is also a member of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus because he understands the importance of preventing and curing this disease which is becoming an epidemic in the 15th Congressional district.
Hinojosa actively supports the effort to create new formulas for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement so that physicians and hospitals can continue to serve rural communities, seniors, children and those unable to afford care. Additionally, Congressman Hinojosa fights every year for increased medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health to address health epidemics such as diabetes and stroke, and cancer.