GUARANTEEING ACCESS TO QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

Bobby worked with President Obama to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010.  The ACA helped millions of uninsured Americans gain access to health insurance, many for the first time.  Obamacare also ended the practice of private insurance companies from denying insurance to individuals with pre-existing conditions and capping the amount of care an individual can receive. 

For the last decade, Bobby has helped lead the fight against Republican attempts to repeal Obamacare.  As chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Bobby is also leading the fight against the Trump Administration's ongoing sabotage of Obamacare.

However, Bobby knows that the ACA was only a step towards improving our nation’s health care system.  While Bobby supports Medicare for All and has been a cosponsor since his first term in Congress, he understands that it can’t be done overnight.  Bobby supports adding a Medicare-styled public option to Obamacare to give individuals a more affordable choice and help drive down the cost of private insurance.  Bobby also supports and has introduced legislation to build upon and improve the Affordable Care Act to limit deductibles, expand the eligibility for Obamacare insurance premium subsidies, further limit out-of-pocket expenses, and extend open enrollment and outreach efforts to ensure more individuals are aware of their insurance options.

 In December 2019, Bobby helped author and lead efforts in the House of Representatives to pass the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act.  This landmark legislation would lower prescription drug costs for millions of Americans saving them $500 billion over the next decade.  These savings would be reinvested to expand Medicare benefits, strengthen community health centers, and support other vital public health programs.

Bobby is also leading the fight to end surprise medical bills.  He’s introduced the Ban Surprise Billing Act to protect patients from getting huge, unexpected medical bills through no fault of their own.  Surprise bills are having an increasing devastating impact on families.  Bobby’s Ban Surprise Billing Act would provide critical consumer protections for patients and would hold patients harmless from paying these exorbitant bills.  Bobby moved the Ban Surprise Billing Act out of his committee in February 2020 and is committed to ensuring Congress passes these protections for patients this year.