Health Care

Jared believes that all Americans should have access to high-quality, affordable health care. It is unacceptable that a country that spends more on health care than any other cannot provide affordable medical care for all its citizens. Jared is committed to promoting cutting-edge medical research, investing in innovative technologies, and enacting public policies that will enable Americans throughout the country to access better health care at a lower cost.

Medicare

Jared is a strong supporter of Medicare. While it is critical that Congress work to get America’s fiscal house in order, Jared does not believe we should balance the budget on the backs of seniors who have funded the program for years with their hard-earned tax dollars. Since Medicare’s creation in 1965, it has become an indispensable part of our nation’s social safety net. The program provides coverage to roughly 50 million Americans per year, including nearly 700,000 seniors in Colorado. In 2015, Jared voted to prevent a potentially devastating spike in Medicare Part B premiums, helping approximately 17 million people avert a 53% increase for 2016 rates. Medicare unquestionably has succeeded in giving our seniors the opportunity to maintain a healthy and productive standard of living after they retire, and Jared is committed to developing a plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of Medicare in a way that protects the benefits that our seniors rely on.

Affordable Care Act

In 2010, Jared voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and continues to be a strong supporter of the law. The Affordable Care Act has helped with eliminating the Medicare prescription “donut hole,” preventing insurers from dropping health coverage because of preexisting conditions, allowing young adults to stay on their parents coverage until age 26, providing free preventative care, reducing fraud and abuse in Medicare, giving doctors incentives to use electronic medical records, and moving away from a fee-for-service payment system that encourages overuse and abuse of hospital services. Thanks to the ACA, an estimated 22 million Americans have been able to purchase health insurance for the first time. In Colorado alone, more than 200,000 people have enrolled in a quality health plan. Prior to the ACA, 16.5% of Coloradans lacked health insurance. Since the exchange went online, that number has dropped to 6 percent.

To find out more about how the Affordable Care Act will impact you:

• Key Features of the Affordable Care Act
• Information about Colorado’s Pre-Existing Insurance Plan
• How Colorado's Second District Benefits 
• Information on Health Insurance from the Colorado Division of Regulatory Agencies
• Information from the National Health Council specific to you, your family, and your medical history
• Guides for filing taxes
  
  • What's New for Individuals and Families
    
  • 3 Tips About Marketplace Coverage and Your Taxes
  • No Health Coverage? What That Means for Your Taxes

For more information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, please visit www.HealthCare.gov.

Children’s Health Care

Keeping kids healthy is one Jared' top priorities. One of his first votes in Congress was to pass the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization of 2009. Jared proudly led the bill’s debate on the floor of the House, urging his colleagues to expand health coverage to more American children—52,867 of whom live in Colorado. In 2015 he proudly voted in favor of H.R.2, which averted a potentially devastating financing cliff and ensured the sustainability of this vital program.

Jared also supports investing federal resources in the development of new cures and treatment mechanisms to help kids who are suffering from illness get better and live healthy lives. We have no greater responsibility than to care for our nation’s sick kids. We are moving in the right direction, but there is much more to be done. 

Technology and Innovation

Medical technology has made great strides in the past few decades, but we have also been forced to confront new challenges. Jared continues to call for strong funding levels for critical research institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For every new vaccine or treatment that science produces, new diseases are discovered. One of the most promising innovations of our time comes from the results of embryonic stem cell research. Jared supports a dramatic expansion in federal funding for this research. More than 100 million Americans suffer from conditions that could be treated by the appropriate application of these new discoveries. This is a public health priority that can no longer take a back seat to partisan bickering. Jared favors federal funding for responsible and ethical research on new lines of stem cells, which would otherwise be destroyed.

Office Contact: For more information or questions about health care issues, please contact Camilla Vogt in the Washington office. You can also visit Congressman Polis' Legislation Page or find information on bills and amendments that he’s cosponsored in Congress.