Fixing Our Healthcare System
Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District is blessed to be the home of several of the top 10 hospitals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. From Carilion in Roanoke to Centra in Lynchburg, Virginia’s hospitals are vital to the health and well-being of Sixth District residents.
With the rise in premiums and deductibles and the ever-increasing cost of prescription drugs, Congressman Cline has made it a priority to address America’s healthcare issues using effective, free-market solutions, while protecting patients with preexisting conditions. He has also worked to advance legislation to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating impact on the United States.
Congressman Cline believes it is a priority that Congress foster affordability and accessibility in the healthcare marketplace in a way that both parties can endorse and that is consistent with the entrepreneurial spirit of our nation.
Below are just a few examples of pieces of legislation Congressman Cline has supported during his tenure to accomplish these goals:
118th Congress:
- H.R. 497, the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act ends the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers and nullifies the rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 5, 2021.
- H.R. 751, the Fair Access in Residency (FAIR) Act ensures taxpayer-funded physician residency training programs create an equal path to residency for both Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) and Medical Doctors (MDs).
- H.R. 2407, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act increases seniors’ timely access to multi-cancer early detection technology by creating a pathway to Medicare coverage.
117th Congress:
- H.R. 725, the Personalized Care Act increases the maximum annual contribution limit for HSAs to $10,800 for individuals and $29,500 for families. The bill would also decouple HSAs from high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and extend HSAs as an option for those enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
- H.R. 2898, the Homecare for Seniors Act allows tax-exempt distributions from health savings accounts (HSAs) to be used for qualified home care.
- H.R. 3537, the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).
- H.R. 4390, the PROTECT 340B Act of 2021 amends title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to ensure the equitable treatment of covered entities and pharmacies participating in the 340B drug discount program.
- H.R. 5981, the Telehealth Expansion Act amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend the exemption for telehealth services from certain high deductible health plan rules.
116th Congress:
- H.R. 748, the CARES Act offers economic relief to individuals and businesses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and provides resources to hospitals and states to treat and test patients.
- H.R. 3199, the Terminating the Extension of Rights Misappropriated (TERM) Act is bipartisan legislation that helps limit the practice of “evergreening” by drug companies and will allow the quicker introduction of generic medications to market. With prices continuing to rise, Congress must ensure that the marketplace includes affordable and accessible generic prescription drugs.
- H.R. 5596, the Personalized Care Act expands access to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), getting bureaucracy and insurance companies out of the way to allow patients to control their own healthcare choices.
- H.R. 1035, the Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act requires greater transparency and accountability from pharmacy benefit managers, allowing for lower prices for patients in the Sixth District and across the United States.
- H.R. 1398, the Health Insurance Tax Relief Act of 2019 delays the Health Insurance Tax (HIT), a harmful sales tax on health insurance coverage, until after 2021.
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