Health Care

All Americans should have access to affordable, quality health care, and one of Rep. Levin’s priorities is strengthening the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to expand access and lower costs.

In the 116th Congress, Rep. Levin defended the Affordable Care Act and worked to strengthen the law as the previous administration threatened to dismantle it. Rep. Levin has also worked with his colleagues to address the soaring price of prescription drugs. He voted for the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which would establish a prescription drug price negotiation program, protect Medicare from excessive price increases, and establish an out-of-pocket limit for Medicare Part D enrollees. That bill passed the House and included Rep. Levin’s legislation to invest billions over the next ten years in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for biomedical research, which was of particular importance to research institutions in the 49th District.

Rep. Levin is also a strong supporter of the constitutional rights of women to make their own reproductive health care decisions. To this end, he supported legislation to ensure veterans receive the same access to free contraceptives that are already available to other Americans. He has also cosponsored a bill to ensure that all women, regardless of income, race or geography, have access to reproductive health care. He also cosponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act to prohibit laws that create unnecessary barriers to reproductive health services such as requiring doctors to conduct tests and procedures that are medically unnecessary, as well as the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, which directs multi-agency efforts to improve maternal health, particularly among racial and ethnic minority groups, veterans, and other vulnerable populations.

Millions of Americans struggling with addiction and substance abuse issues do not receive the support they need despite numerous federal, state and local programs intended to help them. Rep. Levin has introduced the SOBER Homes Act to analyze the effectiveness of recovery housing to ensure those struggling with addiction receive the care they need to recover.

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the critical importance of preparation to fight widespread infectious diseases, such as those resistant to antibiotics. Rep. Levin introduced the Saving Us from Pandemic Era Resistance by Building a Unified Global Strategy (SUPER BUGS) Act to prepare us for future pandemics by directing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in consultation with the Department of State, to enter into agreements with foreign countries to help develop and commercialize new pandemic drugs.

Rep. Levin also introduced a bipartisan resolution to establish October 1st as National Health Literacy Day. The resolution encourages individuals to assess their health knowledge and history, and urges the Secretary of Health and Human Services to adopt tools and incentives to improve health literacy.

Rep. Levin will continue to work with anyone who is focused on lowering costs, expanding access, and ensuring that everyone has protections for pre-existing conditions.