Health Care

Access to quality, affordable health care is critical to the well being of America, today and in the future. Central to this is addressing the needs of the 46 million uninsured Americans, strengthening the Medicare system, providing health insurance to our low-income children, funding cutting-edge research into cures for diseases, and giving patients the clout to challenge the decisions of health insurers. Only through action on these critical issues can we meet the pressing health care concerns of our nation.

Our community has faces many health care challenges. We suffer from disproportionately high levels of poverty and disease, including diabetes, TB, hepatitis, and cancer. Large numbers of El Pasoans are uninsured. We have shortages of nurses, doctors, and other health practitioners, yet the needs of the community continue to grow. In addition, El Paso shoulders the burden of providing health care services to large numbers of uninsured, under-insured, and the undocumented.

To meet these challenges, El Paso needs to support its existing healthcare system while also developing new assets. I am a strong supporter of the healthcare providers and educational institutions in El Paso such as Texas Tech University, UTEP, El Paso Community College, the Border Health Institute (BHI), Pan American Health Organization, La Fe, Project Vida, Project Arriba, Fort Bliss, area hospitals and clinics, and individual doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. I worked hard to locate the Border Health Commission (BHC) in El Paso, and helped secure over $11 million for the BHC in the past several years to focus on the many health-related issues on a binational basis. I also helped obtain federal funding for other important healthcare assets in our community, including over $700,000 for the Migrant Health Project administered by Texas Tech and UTEP as well as $667,000 for the La Fe Clinic.

In addition, development of new healthcare assets in El Paso must be accelerated in order to support our community as a major medical center along the U.S. - Mexico border. Of primary importance is establishing a Border Medical Complex in El Paso, which will house a four-year medical school, a Center for Disease Control office, the Border Health Institute, and the BHC. In the past two years, I have helped secure $1.3 million in federal appropriations for the project.

Begun during my first year in Congress, the annual U.S. - Mexico Border Issues Conference brings healthcare issues confronting the U.S. - Mexico border region to the attention of my colleagues in Congress. Also, I have held a Congressional Field Hearing in El Paso regarding the interrelated issues of health and the environment. These kinds of events are essential to drawing additional attention, and therefore funding, to the border region.

I strongly support increased funding for cancer, tuberculosis and diabetes research and education. It is frightening to know that an estimated one in four Hispanics in El Paso over the age of 45 has diabetes. And it's even more disturbing that some 40,000 El Pasoans may have the potentially life-threatening disease, and do not know it. To address these serious problems, over the past five years we in Congress have doubled funding for the National Institutes of Health, which is the primary federal medical research agency.

In addition, I continue to advocate for legislation to provide prescription drug benefits for seniors under Medicare and increased funding and resources for nurses and doctors.

In short, I am committed to bringing additional resources and funds to the healthcare needs of our community, thereby improving the lives of all El Pasoans.


Legislation in the 111th Congress

H.R. 2 - the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009 (Signed into law February 4, 2009)

In this recession, SCHIP is critically important for the nation, particularly for Texas and our border.  I am deeply troubled that Texas has the highest number of uninsured children in the United States.  It is simply unacceptable to have one in five children in our state without health insurance.  Our district has one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the country, and the current economic recession is making it even harder for many more families to afford health insurance.  Recent studies estimate that for every one percent increase in our national unemployment rate, 1.1 million Americans lose health insurance and more than a million enroll in Medicaid and SCHIP. 

Having a large number of uninsured children in our communities places a tremendous financial burden on parents and local hospitals, as families are forced to send their children to the emergency room because they cannot afford a visit to their doctor.  The cost of health care is increasing, and reauthorizing SCHIP for the next four and a half years is an important first step in stemming the rising tide of the uninsured. 

The new law provides sufficient federal funds to help states maintain their current programs and extend coverage to four million additional uninsured low-income children.  Many states will experience much higher enrollment in SCHIP than previously anticipated due to job losses and lower incomes.  A number of these states would have been unable to meet the higher public demand for SCHIP without the relief provided in this law.  By reauthorizing the program, we help states meet increased demand for SCHIP-enrollment and prevent them from cutting back on the program just when families need it the most.