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

May 20, 2019

ICYMI: Bustos, House Democrats Take Action to Bring Down the Cost of Health Care and Prescription Drugs

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it last week, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and House Democrats passed major legislation to bring down the cost of health care and prescription drugs. H.R. 987 – the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act – would enable more affordable generic prescription drugs to get to the market sooner, […]

Press Release

May 16, 2019

Bustos, House Democrats Pass Legislation to Bring Down the Cost of Health Care and Prescription Drugs

Last Week, House Passed Additional Legislation to Rein in Prescription Drug Prices and Protect Health Care for People with Pre-Existing Conditions WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and House Democrats passed major legislation to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs – delivering on a key commitment to the American people. H.R. […]

Press Release

May 9, 2019

Bustos Successfully Fights for Veterans, Rural Health Access in Appropriations Bill

With Critical Bustos Provisions Included, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill Heads to House Floor for Final Passage WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) helped pass a strong Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) funding bill out of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. The legislation will now head to the House floor for final passage. Congresswoman Bustos […]

Press Release

May 9, 2019

Bustos Helps Pass Legislation to Lower Health Care Costs, Protect Illinoisans with Pre-Existing Conditions

Patient Advocates, Hospitals Speak Out in Support of House Democratic Legislation – Against White House Health Care Sabotage WASHINGTON – Fighting back against Washington Republican efforts to raise costs for Illinoisans, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) helped pass legislation to protect affordable care for people with pre-existing conditions. Congresswoman Bustos and House Democrats passed H.R. 986 […]