Health Care

Everyone should have access to quality, affordable healthcare, including preventative services, regardless of their economic background or medical history. While I was not in Congress when it became law, I support the goals of the Affordable Care Act and will work to strengthen and improve it. I also believe that robust funding of research programs at the National Institutes of Health and other agencies is key to improving outcomes for patients and reducing costs in our health care system.

What I am Doing for You

I voted numerous times against bills which would take health care away from millions of Americans by repealing all or part of the Affordable Care Act.

I cosponsored H.R. 932, the Healthy Families Act, which would allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days per year to recover from short-term illness, care for a sick family member, seek routine medical care, or seek assistance related to domestic violence.

I cosponsored H.R. 546, the Advancing Care for Exceptional (ACE) Kids Act, a bipartisan bill to allow for the creation of nationally designated children’s hospital networks to serve children with medically complex conditions and let them travel across state lines to receive care.

I cosponsored H.R. 1559, the HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act, a bipartisan bill which would improve outcomes for Alzheimer’s patients by providing Medicare coverage for planning sessions that would raise awareness of the available resources for newly diagnosed patients and their families.

I cosponsored H.R. 3381, the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, a bipartisan bill which would promote research on and promote delivery of pediatric cancer treatment.

I helped lead a bipartisan effort to urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help improve access to clinical trials for cancer treatments

I sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services requesting specific changes to improve the website: healthcare.gov.

 

Rep. Swalwell visits the Stanford Genome Technology Center, where Dr. Ron Davis and his researchers are seeking treatments and a cure for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, August 2016.

In the 113th Congress:

I cosponsored H.R. 5051, the Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014, which would prevent corporate employers from using religious beliefs to deny employees coverage of contraception or any other vital health service required by federal law and keep in place existing exemption for religious employers (e.g., houses of worship) and accommodation of religious non-profits. This bill is the legislative response to the Supreme Court decision in Hobby Lobby.

I cosponsored H.R. 3577, the Health Savings through Technology Act, which would create a commission to inventory existing data, examine the cost-savings that can be achieved by increasing wireless health information technologies, and develop a strategy for the integration of these technologies into federal healthcare programs.

I cosponsored H.R. 1180, the Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would increase the amount of residency slots in hospitals nationally.

Rep. Swalwell at the Axis Community Health groundbreaking in Pleasanton, October 2014.