Access to high-quality, affordable health care is a right that belongs to every Arizonan. It is this belief that has driven me to work towards increasing access to health care, reducing health care costs, and protecting those with pre-existing conditions. 

The proudest vote I ever cast in the House of Representatives was for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). I cast the vote knowing it would be controversial and would likely cost me my seat, as it eventually did in 2010, but believing it offered an improvement to a health care system that left millions of Americans uninsured and uncared for. The ACA led to a large drop in the level of uninsured individuals in Arizona and the United States and ended the abusive system of insurance companies refusing health care coverage to individuals who had a pre-existing condition. But while the ACA was undoubtedly a success in expanding access to affordable health care, there is more that must be done.

The House majority has made lowering health care costs a top legislative priority. We passed ​H.R. 987, Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act​ and ​H.R. 1184, ​The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act. These legislative victories in the House were designed to protect and improve upon the ACA by expanding access to generic prescription drug options, strengthening protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and lowering health insurance premiums with expanded affordability assistance.

Traveling throughout Southern Arizona, it’s clear to me that the top concern of families is rising health care costs; they want proactive solutions to fixing our health care system. I am committed to supporting proposals that would protect coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, lower prescription drug prices, stop surprise medical bills, and make health care overall more affordable and, hopefully soon, universal.

I have entered the health care debate by supporting bold proposals like H.R. 1384, the Medicare for All Act, H.R. 3748, the Buy-In and Health Care and Stabilization Act, and H.R. 1277, The State Public Option Act. While these bills have different approaches, they all offer substantive solutions to fixing sky high costs and are steps forward to achieving universal coverage. 

My overarching goal is to ensure that every American has access to affordable, quality health care and lower prescription drug prices.