Health Care

We need to make health care more accessible and affordable for families. That means preserving the parts of our health care system that work and fixing the ones that don’t. Rep. Peters will continue working to advance bipartisan solutions to reduce out-of-pocket costs for San Diegans at their doctor’s office, in the hospital, and at the pharmacy counter. Finally, preserving basic scientific research funding through NIH helps San Diego, one of the largest life sciences clusters in the country, lead the way in identifying new cures and improving quality of life for patients.

Lowering Health Care Costs for Families

Americans deserve affordable, accessible health care. While the Affordable Care Act enabled historic advances in the insurance coverage rate for American families, skyrocketing prescription drug prices have continued to crush patients. That is why Scott introduced the Reduced Costs and Continued Cures Act, which allows Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies, caps seniors’ annual out-of-pocket drug spending, and caps the monthly cost of insulin. The Inflation Reduction Act included several historic components of the drug price negotiation framework Rep. Peters originally proposed. Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act, which is now law:

• Empowered Medicare to negotiate with drug manufacturers and use its purchasing power to get the best possible deals on behalf of American seniors. When the Medicare Part D benefit was originally created, Congress included a “noninterference clause,” which prevented the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from involving itself in determining the reimbursement structure for covered Part D drugs. The Inflation Reduction Act replaces the noninterference clause with a program to support the federal government in negotiating lower prices for seniors.
• Capped out-of-pocket spending on Medicare Part D drugs to ensure that seniors do not spend more than $2,000, annually, on their prescription drugs. Before the Inflation Reduction Act’s passage, Medicare was required to provide catastrophic coverage for beneficiaries with high out-of-pocket costs, but this left many seniors on the hook unable to afford their lifesaving medicines.
• Capped the cost of insulin, for seniors on Medicare, at $35 per month. The Department of Health and Human Services found that this provision would have saved nearly 1.5 million seniors an average of about $500 per year on insulin. Nobody should be forced to skip or ration their insulin supply because they can’t afford it.
• Extended Advance Premium Tax credits under the Affordable Care Act through 2025, lowering health insurance premiums for millions of Americans. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) found that health insurance premiums in 2022 would have been about 50% higher, on average, without extending these tax credits.

Investing In Innovative Care and Treatment

San Diego is home to a rich ecosystem of innovative research institutions and companies making groundbreaking medical discoveries every day. Scott supports funding and policies that improve patient care and advance medical breakthroughs. This will also help boost our regional economy and create new jobs. Scott has:

• Secured $2,240,000 in federal community project funding for San Diego County’s Mobile Crisis Response Teams to expand the availability of alternatives to police when responding to mental health, drug, or alcohol-related crises.
• Introduced the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Up surging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act, which will strengthen public health preparedness and improve our ability to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other drug-resistant fungi. The PASTEUR Act would create a novel antimicrobial development financing model to ensure we have the antibiotics and antifungals necessary to combat emerging pathogens.
• Introduced the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Reauthorization Act, which would provide additional funding to community-based recovery centers that help people find housing and other critical services as they recover from addiction.
• Introduced the Ending the Diagnostic Odyssey Act, which would provide federal funding to states to support the use of whole genome sequencing–an innovative, cost-effective tool that uses DNA–to diagnose children that may have neurologic, metabolic, or other inherited diseases. It can ensure children receive appropriate treatment as fast as possible and save lives.
• Co-sponsored and helped pass the 21st Century Cures Act, which would accelerate the development of new therapies and treatments to patients who need them faster and more efficiently. It also provides new authority to help FDA recruit and retain scientific, technical, and professional experts and establishes expedited product development programs. This is now law.

Strengthening Our Health Care Workforce

Doctors, nurses, social workers, and other caregivers help keep our community healthy and safe. We must provide those who dedicate their lives to caring for others with the support they deserve. To build and retain a strong, resilient workforce, Rep. Peters has:

• Co-sponsored and helped pass the Dr. Benjy Frances Brooks Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act, which provides funding for children’s hospitals, like Rady’s, to operate training programs that provide graduate medical education (GME). This is now law.
• Cosponsored and helped pass the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act to build a robust, diverse, and well-trained nursing workforce. This bill passed the House of Representatives.
• Co-sponsored and helped pass the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act, which would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award demonstration grants to states to streamline procedures for licensing and certifying emergency medical technicians (EMT) who received similar certifications while serving in the Armed Forces. This bill passed the House of Representatives.
• Co-sponsored and helped pass the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, which would direct the Health Resources and Services Administration to identify geographic areas experiencing a shortage of health professionals practicing in maternity care. This bill passed the House of Representatives.