Lowering Health Care Costs
Every American should have access to high-quality, affordable health care.
One of my proudest votes in Congress was for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. Since its enactment, the law has given millions of Americans access to health care coverage. Thanks to the ACA, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, young people can stay on their parents' health plan until they turn 26, and all insurance plans must cover health care basics like emergency room visits, hospital stays, and prescription drugs.
In 2022, our Democratic majority passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a landmark piece of legislation that caps the cost of insulin at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries, caps annual Medicare Part D drug expenses at $2,000 per year, and finally allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices for certain drugs.
I remain committed to strengthening the ACA, protecting and expanding Medicare, and pursuing sensible policies that will lower health care costs for all Americans.
More on Lowering Health Care Costs
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) announced support for 15 community projects in the 11th Congressional District as part of the House Appropriations Committee's Community Project Funding (CPF) program. The projects listed have been submitted to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration as part of the FY2023 government spending bills.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced the Medical Records Access Fairness Act, which would require health care providers to give patients access to their medical records at no cost at least once per year. According to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, the medical records fees that doctor offices charge patients can be a financial burden; if a patient is unable to afford the cost, it can delay or prevent their doctors from coordinating on their care, or even prevent them from getting needed care at all.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) voted for landmark legislation to deliver lower insulin costs for Illinois families. By capping out-of-pocket expenses, the Affordable Insulin Now Act would ensure that Illinoisans pay no more than $35 for a monthly supply of insulin.
Washington, D.C. – Last week, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced H.R. 7156, the Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion (CARE) Act – a bipartisan bill that would expand access to treatment for people struggling with substance use disorder.
This measure would help countless Medicaid recipients across the country, including thousands in Illinois, access comprehensive intensive inpatient treatment for substance use and addiction.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) announced that all 10 Community Project Funding (CPF) requests he made on behalf of the 11th Congressional District of Illinois were included in the final House-passed omnibus spending bill for a total of $18,870,000.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL), Congresswoman Kim Schrier (D-WA), Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Congressman Mark Green (R-TN) led a bipartisan group of eight Members of Congress in calling for greater federal efforts to research and develop COVID-19 combination therapies, or drug "cocktails."
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) and Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) led 14 of their Democratic colleagues to call on House leadership to move forward with an extension of the COVID-19 sick leave mandate, which expired in December of 2020.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Biden's Build Back Better economic package:
"I'm proud to have voted for the President's Build Back Better legislation, a once-in-a-generation investment in American families that is fully paid for by making sure the richest Americans and corporations are paying their fair share in taxes.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) voted to defend women's constitutional right to reproductive health care with H.R. 3755, the Women's Health Protection Act. Amid a dangerous assault on women's basic health freedoms – from statehouses across the country to the U.S. Supreme Court – this landmark legislation enshrines into law the vital protections of Roe v. Wade and secures the right to reproductive care for all women across America.
Megan Jones, Aurora Beacon-News
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers came to Aurora Tuesday to urge Congress to pass new federal legislation to protect women's access to reproductive health care in the wake of a new Texas law which prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks.
While the governor and Illinois U.S. Reps. Lauren Underwood, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Bill Foster spoke inside at the event at Planned Parenthood on East New York Street in Aurora, dozens of members with the Pro-Life Action League protested outside the facility.