Health Care Archives - Congresswoman Cheri Bustos

Making Health Care More Accessible and Affordable

Health care is a deeply personal issue to me.

My sister-in-law, Barb, died several years ago without health insurance. Barb and her husband both worked full-time, but they couldn’t afford health insurance and when she got sick, she couldn’t afford the most effective cancer treatment she needed to survive.

Even those who can afford insurance are not immune to the extremely high costs of operations and prescription medications. A few months after my sister-in-law passed away, my brother Danny died, leaving behind a wife and two daughters. His insurance would not cover his cancer treatment because an experimental drug was required. I support legislation that will help make quality health care more affordable so no families have to go through the suffering my family did.

Another major issue across our nation is the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Since the ACA has been implemented, we’ve seen significant improvements in health care delivery. Whether it’s providing free preventative care, expanding Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans, eliminating pre-existing condition discrimination, ending lifetime limits on care or allowing young adults to stay on their parents plan until age 26, by just about every metric, the ACA has been a success.

However, there are always ways that we can build upon these successes and make improvements to reduce health care costs and improve accessibility.

More on Health Care

Press Release

January 16, 2019

Bustos Positioned to Fight for Region with Key Appropriations Subcommittee Assignments

Bustos Appointed to Subcommittees on Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) was named to three key subcommittees on the House Appropriations Committee. In addition to driving key priorities on infrastructure and agriculture at the full committee level, her new subcommittee […]

Press Release

January 9, 2019

Bustos Helps Pass Legislation to Protect Health Care for Illinoisans with Pre-Existing Conditions

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) helped pass legislation that would further protect health care for Illinoisans with pre-existing conditions. Having spent a decade working in health care administration, Congresswoman Bustos knows we must work together to bring down the cost of care while maintaining the critical patient protections Illinoisans rely on. “The American people […]

Press Release

January 4, 2019

Congresswoman Bustos Announces Federal Investment in Henderson County Rural Health Center

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) announced that the Eagle View Community Health System will receive $1,304,794 in federal funding, allowing them to continue providing quality medical, dental and behavioral care to Henderson County’s rural residents. “Families in rural America face unique challenges when it comes to accessing affordable health care,” Congresswoman Bustos said. […]

Press Release

November 30, 2018

Congresswoman Bustos Announces More Than $8 Million In Grants For Local Health Centers

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos announced that health centers across the district will receive $8,251,258 in total grant funding. These federal dollars were awarded through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Center Cluster Program that helps community-based health care organizations provide primary care for underserved communities. “All hardworking Americans should have access […]