Issue Position: Health Care
Issue Position
I understand the pain and suffering a family endures when one of them gets sick or injured. I learned firsthand the complications of our health system when my mother became ill. Those experiences reinforced my commitment to health care reform. The Affordable Care Act is an important piece of legislation that helps address the lack of affordable, high quality health care for all Americans. I strongly believe that health care is a universal right, one that should not be limited due to one's age, ethnicity, or residence. In addition, reproductive justice and freedom for women is a civil rights issue. That is why I will continue to work to ensure that our health disparities, such as the incidence of viral hepatitis and tuberculosis, and lack of adequate cultural and language services, are addressed.
Health Care as a Human Right
Congressman Honda strongly believes that health care is a human right. That is why he fights to expand access to and improve the quality of health care in the United States and its territories. Congressman Honda continues to be a voice for underserved communities everywhere, leading the fight to address health disparities and disease epidemics. As health connects to every aspect of our lives and affects our capacity to work, live, and play, Congressman Honda supports state and local efforts to provide better and more efficient care while protecting the rights of patients and their doctors.
Fighting for Health Care
I strongly believe that health care is a human right. In this regard, I have worked to expand access and improve the quality of health care in the United States and its territories. I have provided a voice for underserved communities everywhere by leading the fight to address health disparities and disease epidemics. Believing that health is connected to every aspect of our lives, and affects our capacity to work, live, and play, I have supported state and local efforts to provide better and more efficient care, protecting the rights of patients and their doctors.
Health Care Reform | Health Care for All | Affordable Care Act
Congressman Honda is an outspoken leader on health care reform. Through public events and media, he fervently advocated for the expansion of health coverage to all through the Affordable Care Act, as well as through a public health insurance option. As the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, he worked to ensure that the needs of underserved communities were represented in the historic reform bill. In particular, he was successful in ensuring that the bill addressed racial and ethnic health disparities, including improvements in data collection and measures to increase the number of health care providers from different backgrounds. In meetings with CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, Congressman Honda advocated for increased ACA enrollment assistance and translation of applications into more languages. In 2009, he hosted town halls and brought together Covered California, health experts, and community members to answer questions about the Affordable Care Act enrollment process in the district.
Health Disparities | Access to Care
Congressman Honda has repeatedly led efforts to decrease or eliminate health disparities. As the Chairman and Chair Emeritus of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, he sponsored and supported the Health Care Equality and Accountability Act, which would have expanded access to care for individuals with limited English proficiency, increased health workforce diversity, and encouraged further studies on minority health issues. As a member of the TriCaucus with the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he also has introduced legislation focused on health disparities in correlation to an annual health disparities summit. Additionally, in the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Act, he secured $50 million dollars for the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.
Tuberculosis
Santa Clara County has one of the highest tuberculosis rates in the nation. Congressman Honda led efforts to address tuberculosis by seeking changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) formula for direct funding for tuberculosis treatment and education to include highly impacted counties. He was also successful in getting report language in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill to have the CDC review its funding distribution policies. Congressman Honda is also a member of the Congressional Tuberculosis Elimination Caucus.
Medicare and Medicaid | Medicare Modernization Act
Congressman Honda has been a champion of the Medicare and Medicaid programs throughout his career, fighting for the health rights of seniors and low-income families. He has advocated for a better reimbursement system for providers, more guaranteed preventative benefits for beneficiaries, a lower burden for states in Medicaid, keeping budget cuts from disproportionately burdening the poor and middle class, and more efficient delivery of care across the entire health system. As the author of the People's Budget, the Congressional Progressive Caucus' 2012 budget alternative, Congressman Honda put forth a plan that would keep both programs solvent while closing our national debt within ten years. In 2003, he organized special town halls throughout the district focused on the Medicare Modernization Act. And after its passage, he worked with community groups, especially in the Asian American Pacific Islander community, to mobilize resources for seniors with limited language access.
Viral Hepatitis | Education | Outreach
Congressman Honda has been a leader in the battle against Viral Hepatitis issues in Congress for over a decade. He has authored several pieces of legislation to stem the tide of hepatitis in the United States, including the Comprehensive Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act. He has also introduced resolutions calling for a Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month and a World Hepatitis Awareness Day every year. He has been successful in bringing awareness on the issue through meetings with senior cabinet level officials and community leaders, securing an official White House proclamation from President Obama recognizing World Hepatitis Day in every year since 2011. Congressman Honda founded and co-chairs the bi-partisan Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus and is a co-sponsor of the Viral Hepatitis Testing Act of 2015, which will authorize new prevention and testing programs for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as implement hepatitis C screening for veterans. Most recently, as senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Honda secured language regarding viral Hepatitis B and C prevention and research in the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus. He also secured over $56 million for the Office of Minority Health, which works to eliminate health disparities, including hepatitis B and diabetes. Congressman Honda secured over $31 million in funding for Division of Viral Hepatitis.
Safeguarding Women's Health | Women's Choice in Health Insurance Reform
Congressman Honda is a strong and outspoken advocate for women's health and supported the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Among the most important provisions of this legislation, he supported the elimination of gender-based discrimination in insurance prices, recognizing that being a woman is not a preexisting condition that should force women to pay higher premiums. Furthermore, Congressman Honda fought against the Stupak Amendment, which would have limited a woman's ability to purchase coverage for reproductive health services with her own money. As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, he has consistently supported Title X funding--the only federal grant program that is completely devoted to providing comprehensive family planning and other preventive health services. Congressman Honda has also secured funding for projects that promote women's and children's health and wellbeing, such as mobile mammography units, youth mentoring grants, and child obesity programs. In addition, to address the recent increasing hateful rhetoric and smear campaigns against abortion providers and patients, he supported legislation that condemns violent attacks on health care centers for women.
Blood Donations | Civil Rights
Since 2008, Congressman Honda has been a strong voice against the lifetime deferral for blood donations from gay men. When San Jose State University refused to allow blood drives in protest to the discriminatory ban, he stood in support and along with other Members of Congress sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting further review of its blood donation policies. Congressman Honda has sent additional letters to the Secretary of the Health and Human Services (HHS) and continues to be outspoken and supportive of ending the lifetime deferral ban.
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