Affordable and Quality Health Care

All Americans deserve a health care system that puts patients first, and Tim is fighting to fix what’s broken, restore integrity into our nation’s health care system, and lower premium costs. Tim helped pass the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, which would lower premiums by at least 11%, expand access to quality care, and bring greater transparency to America’s health system.

The legislation also included a bill that Tim championed, the Association Health Plans Act, to allow small businesses to join together to purchase more affordable health care insurance. 

Tim is pushing for other policies to make health care more affordable, including ending lawsuit abuse, letting people purchase health insurance across state lines, expanding the flexibility of health savings accounts, reducing fraud, and giving individuals the same tax treatment as corporations when they purchase health insurance. Additionally, Tim voted to repeal the medical device tax, which is costing Michigan medical manufacturing jobs and increasing the costs for life-saving medications and devices.

Prescription drug prices are also too high, and Americans deserve more transparency regarding costs. The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act would require pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to provide employers with detailed data on prescription drug spending, empowering plans and workers with the transparency they deserve.

Research and innovation are crucial to improving health care quality and finding ways to heal our loved ones. Tim Walberg voted for the 21st Century Cures Act to encourage medical research and speed up the development of life-saving cures and treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and cancer. He also voted for bipartisan legislation to overhaul our nation’s broken mental health care system to help those suffering from mental health issues get the care they need.

As a member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, Tim Walberg has been actively collaborating with state and local leaders to develop best practices and tackle the alarming heroin and opioid epidemic that hits close to home in our communities. He voted for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) to enhance prevention, treatment, and recovery programs and provide hope for those struggling with addiction. This comprehensive response overwhelmingly passed the House and was signed into law. Along with a Democratic colleague, Tim also introduced “Jessie’s Law”, named after a Michigan resident who tragically died of an opioid overdose. “Jessie’s Law” was signed by President Trump into law in December 2018, and it provides doctors and medical professionals with access to information they need so they can make informed decisions and safely treat their patients. While both opioid and heroin overdoses are beginning to decrease across America, Tim has supported legislation to crack down on synthetic opioids and other fentanyl analogues as their usage rates are spiking.

Tim Walberg voted to let people keep their health coverage if they liked it, and has repeatedly voted to protect people with pre-existing conditions. Tim has also helped lead congressional efforts to end the practice of surprise medical billing.