Hello friends, 
 
Today marks the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law. Access to quality healthcare continues to be one of the most important issues facing our community and it is something that affects all of us. As such, I want to update you on some of the work that I am doing to ensure South Texans have access to top notch health care at an affordable price.  

 
Check out how I'm working in Congress to lower prices and deliver more resources to the 34th Congressional District of Texas: 
 
                                                        Capping the Cost of Insulin
 
In a major victory for seniors and working families, three of the leading insulin producers (Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi) in America have announced that they are reducing their insulin prices and capping the cost to $35 a month. South Texas is no stranger to diabetes, many of us are living with diabetes or know someone who is. We cannot let pharmaceutical companies drive up the prices of live-saving medication just so they can turn a larger profit.  
 
In August of 2022, I voted for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that was signed into law by President Biden. This groundbreaking law capped the cost of insulin at $35 per month for patients enrolled in Medicare and allows Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices for seniors for the first time. It also capped out-of-pocket costs for seniors and those with disabilities on Medicare Part D at $2,000 a year. 
 
This means more South Texans are starting to see savings on life-saving medications! If the Inflation Reduction Act had been enacted in 2020, an estimated 114,242 Part D and B enrollees in Texas would have saved over $50.3 million and $441 per year! 
 
Our work is not done yet, I will continue to fight to ensure South Texans are not left bankrupt by high health care costs. 
 

 
                                         The Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act 
 
Since coming to Congress, I always strive to work across the aisle to introduce legislation that will make a real difference in the lives of South Texans. This includes fighting to lower prescription drug  prices so that no one must choose between buying groceries or life-saving medicine. 
 
This week, I joined my Republican colleague Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (GA-1) to introduce H.R. 1613, the Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act. 
 
This bill would ban predatory pricing tactics by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) for Medicaid recipients, which will lead to higher reimbursements for pharmacies and lower health care costs for consumers. 
 
The full text of the bill can be found here. 
 

                                              The Emergency Care Improvement Act 
 
Much of South Texas consists of rural areas and much of the time, those who live in those regions do not have direct access to even the simplest of health care services, with the nearest health care center located many miles away. A person's address should not determine whether they receive affordable, quality, and life-saving healthcare. 
 
Yesterday, Congressman Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) and I introduced H.R. 1694, the bipartisan Emergency Care Improvement Act that would give Medicare, Tricare and Medicaid patients access to high-quality medical treatment by providing free standing emergency centers. 
 
These centers operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and are staffed with both emergency medicine trained physicians and registered nurses, offering licensed pharmacies, clinical labs and advanced imaging services.