Health Care

I believe that health care is a fundamental human right — and that our elected leaders have a moral obligation to build a health care system that prioritizes people over profits.

That’s why, in the face of continued right-wing attacks, I have fought alongside my Democratic colleagues to defend and expand the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Overcoming deep-pocketed opposition from Big Pharma, House Democrats took another step toward true health justice with our historic Inflation Reduction Act. Now, Medicare is empowered to negotiate lower drug prices for retirees, pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from raising prices faster than the inflation rate, and seniors’ out-of-pocket drug costs are capped at $2,000 per year. And thanks to this historic law, seniors will never pay more than $35 per month for insulin. 

As we bring down the cost of care, I am working to restore abortion access in every state and combat the gender inequities still pervading hospitals and doctors’ offices — standing up for reproductive freedom, shining a light on postpartum depression, and tackling the maternal mortality crisis. 

Advancing health justice also means tackling the substance use disorder crisis that has gripped communities across Massachusetts and throughout the country. In 2015, President Obama signed my Protecting Our Infants Act — the first federal law focused on helping newborns who have been exposed to opioids. In the years since, I have passed laws to combat prescription forgery and invest in our substance use treatment workforce.