Issue Position: Health

Issue Position

We must strengthen our nation's health care system by incentivizing high-quality patient care, reducing costs for small businesses, and expanding access for our most vulnerable populations. We need to continue working to control the rising cost of health care for Washington's families by supporting preventive health services and promoting greater efficiencies in health care delivery. We also need to increase our nation's investment in medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies in order to maintain America's role as a global leader in ground-breaking discoveries and accelerate the speed with which new cures, treatments, and vaccines are developed.

I am committed to ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care. The Affordable Care Act was an important first step and many of its reforms are already helping to improve the quality of coverage and expand access to medical services for millions of individuals. I am pleased that insurance companies are now prohibited from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, and that young adults can now stay on their parents' health plans until they turn 26. However, the law is not perfect and I strongly support making responsible reforms to improve the ACA and address any problems that have arisen with its implementation.

For example, the small business tax credit created under the ACA needs improvement to better serve small businesses. That's why I introduced commonsense legislation in Congress to simplify and expand the tax credit, which will help entrepreneurs and workers nationwide. In addition, I helped introduce legislation to fix the so-called "family glitch" in the ACA to ensure middle-class families are able to afford health insurance for their kids, and I am working to eliminate the law's burdensome excise tax on medical device manufacturers, which has an impact on local jobs and vital innovation.

I also firmly believe that medical decisions should be made between a patient and their doctor -- not by politicians or employers. Continuing attacks in Congress on women's health care are unacceptable, and I will always be an ongoing proponent for access to contraception and reproductive health services.

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