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 7, 2020

64 Organizations Call for Hearing on Bustos Bill

Washington – More than 60 organizations have called for a hearing on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos’ (IL-17) bipartisan, bicameral Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2019. In a letter sent to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which builds on the legislation’s growing momentum, the group expressed support for the bill, which would create a federal grant […]

Press Release

January 1, 2020

2019 YEAR IN REVIEW: Bustos Continues to Deliver Real Results for Illinois Families

Washington – Throughout 2019, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos continued to fight for Illinoisans, securing a number of significant victories. From helping Gold Star families and injured veterans, to increasing rural access to healthcare, to working to lower prescription drug costs, Congresswoman Bustos worked across the aisle to deliver commonsense solutions for Illinois families. Highlights of this year’s […]

Press Release

December 12, 2019

Bustos Helps Pass Bill to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

WATCH: BUSTOS SPEAKS ON HOUSE FLOOR URGING PASSAGE OF THE LOWER DRUG COSTS NOW ACT Washington – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) continued her efforts to deliver affordable and accessible health care for hardworking Illinoisans when she helped pass the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which would rein in skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs and […]

Press Release

December 4, 2019

ICYMI: BUSTOS BRINGS LOCAL STORIES TO HOUSE FLOOR TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF LOWERING PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES

WATCH: BUSTOS SPEAKS ON HOUSE FLOOR URGING PASSAGE OF THE LOWER DRUG COSTS NOW ACT Washington – In case you missed it: yesterday evening, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) took constituent stories to the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to stress the importance of lowering prescription drugs prices by passing the Lower Drug Costs […]