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Health Care and Social Security

 

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Rep. Earl Blumenauer

 

Health Care

Earl is fighting for Medicare for All because he knows that health care is a human right. The Affordable Care Act brought America closer to the goal of universal health coverage. While the Inflation Reduction Act helped lower costs for millions, health care remains too expensive for too many people. 

As a senior member of the Ways and Means committee, Earl strongly supports efforts to make sure that all Medicare beneficiaries, whether they have traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage, have access to affordable, comprehensive care.


The Inflation Reduction Act and Prescription Drug Prices

The Inflation Reduction Act was a historic investment in our nation’s health care system, lowering prescription drug prices for working families and seniors. Earl was proud to help pass this critical legislation, which will reduce health care costs over the next ten years. This legislation will:

  • Finally allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drugs prices, starting with the ten most expensive prescriptions;
  • Cap Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 a year;
  • Penalize drug companies for outrageous price hikes; and
  • Lower Affordable Care Act premiums for millions of Americans.

Every American should have access to quality, affordable medicine. Drug prices have risen at an alarming rate, and many people can't afford necessary medications. New drugs for cancer and rare diseases can cost more than $100,000 a year. Even generic medicines for chronic conditions, such as insulin, have seen prices triple or more between 2002-2013. No one should have to decide between filling their prescriptions or paying their rent.

Drug companies have been taking advantage of the American health care system for too long. While investing in innovation is crucial to developing potential life-saving drugs, we must do more to ensure Americans can afford them. The Inflation Reduction Act was a significant step in achieving this and Earl is continuing to fight to put patients above pharmaceutical profits.

End of Life Care

Earl has championed improvements to end-of-life care for more than ten years. He believes that everyone should be empowered to receive health care consistent with their values, and goals, and that care decisions must be honored by their family and providers.

Since 2009, he has introduced multiple pieces of legislation and built bipartisan support to

improve Medicare coverage of services like advance care planning, which ensure that patients’ wishes are respected, and families are well prepared for the end of a loved-one’s life, and improving benefits like hospice to ensure they offer safe, high-quality care.

LGBTQIA+ Health

Earl is fighting for the right of all individuals to make their own health decisions that fit their needs. The federal government should not protect discriminatory behavior by health care providers. He is a cosponsor of the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. He also supports the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, which would prohibit sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for compensation.

Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid & CHIP)

Throughout his career in public service, Earl has fought to make a reality the idea that everyone, regardless of income, should have access to quality, affordable health care. He's worked to improve and protect the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), which provides health insurance for low-income Oregonians. As Republicans try to undermine Medicaid, Earl continues to fight to preserve and strengthen this vital safety net program. Earl supports the recent updates to the Oregon Health Plan that the Biden Administration approved to ensure continuous coverage for children and allow Medicaid to address social needs like housing and food insecurity.

If you are unsure if you or your dependents qualify to receive the Oregon Health Plans expanded health, nutrition, or housing benefits, check your eligibility here.

Mental Health & Substance Use Disorders

Mental health care is stigmatized and horribly underfunded in our communities. The COVID-19 pandemic exasperated these issues, particularly for children and young people who experienced unrelenting disruption in their education and home-life for several years. Oregon has some of the highest rates of adult and youth mental illness and substance abuse disorder in the country. Over half of those who reported having a mental illness did not receive care, according to Mental Health America.

There's a need in our community for advances in research and treatment of behavioral and mental health. Earl supports legislative efforts to increase school based mental health services and advocates for increased federal funding for mental health and suicide prevention programs. Earl’s legislation to ensure that medical providers have access to the full medical history of patients suffering from substance use disorders was signed into law in 2020 and is currently being implemented. Earl is also working closely with elected leaders across Oregon to ensure that federal funding is being utilized quickly and effectively. We cannot fully address our community’s mental health crisis without parentships between all levels of government, providers, and patients.

Maternal Mortality

The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is the highest of most developed countries and women of color are disproportionately impacted. This is unacceptable. The federal government must be a stronger ally and partner with women. The American Rescue Plan gave the states the ability to expand Medicaid and CHIP postpartum coverage from 60 days to a year, a policy Earl has long supported. Additionally, Earl is a supporter of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act which makes critical investments to address the drivers of maternal mortality and disparities in the United States.

Congressional Neuroscience Caucus

Earl founded the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus in 2010. Co-chaired by Earl and Representative Morgan Luttrell, the Caucus is a bipartisan effort to build awareness of the intrinsic role brain research plays in understanding ourselves and our society, to help communicate the progress and the benefits of this research and promote changes in federal policies to support neuroscience research, including at the Oregon Health & Science University.

The brain is the last great frontier of medical science; increased focus is required as neuroscience is at a historic turning point. A continuous stream of advances is shattering long-held notions about how the human brain works and what happens when it doesn't. The impact of neuroscience is felt acutely as we see more and more neurological and psychiatric disorders, especially as society ages.

These conditions are the leading cause of disability, resulting in more hospitalizations and long-term care than all other disorders combined. From autism to Alzheimer’s, neuroscience research is the only way to stem this growing epidemic. It is a looming disaster that is hanging over the heads – and brains – of the boomer generation. Only through research will the causes, cures, and ultimately prevention of neurological and psychiatric disorders be found. By unlocking the secrets of the brain, this research will doubtlessly improve our lives.

For more information concerning Earl’s work and views regarding the Neuroscience Caucus, please contact the office.

Social Security

Earl supports the Social Security 2100 Act to modernize the Social Security system and ensure retirees receive the benefits they worked for throughout their life. Republicans have chosen a strategy of inaction, which would lead to benefit cuts and increasing the retirement age once the Social Security Trust Fund becomes insolvent. For one-third of beneficiaries, Social Security is 100 percent of their retirement, which is true in Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District. Cutting benefits would negatively harm hundreds of thousands of elderly Oregonians and millions across the country.

That’s why Earl is a strong supporter of the Social Security 2100 Act which would expand benefits for all current and future Social Security recipients, cut taxes for millions of seniors, and ensure the system remains solvent for the rest of the century.

Paid Leave

Earl believes we need paid leave so that Americans are able to leave work to care for themselves or their loved ones without fear of losing their job. He supports the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act that would create a national program to provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave to help new parents and people with serious personal or family health problems take the time they need to care for themselves or their loved ones.