We know that the rapidly rising costs of healthcare have created untenable situations for families, individuals, and businesses across the country, and we cannot sustain the costs to our national economy. The time has come to address this issue by making sure every American has health coverage and choice, improve the quality of care, and drive down the costs. Insurers will no longer be able to discriminate against patients with preexisting conditions or drop them when they become ill. The legislation emphasizes preventive care which will help save billions of dollars and produce healthier outcomes.

H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act is the healthcare reform bill that I worked on and voted for.  This legislation passed the House by a vote of 220-215 on November 7th, 2009.  H.R. 3962 will guarantee health insurance coverage for 96% of all Americans and will provide insurance assistance for up to 15,400 small businesses in our Congressional District. 

The bill will ensure that Americans receive efficient and effective healthcare. In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) states that the bill will create a $30 billion surplus over the next ten-year budget window. CBO also estimates that the legislation will create a $550 billion savings in Medicare and Medicaid costs alone.

The Senate must pass parallel legislation before any bill becomes law.  Once they pass their version, the House and Senate will meet in Conference to determine the final form of the legislation.  During this process, I promise to continue working with my colleagues to craft the best bill for my constituents and our country. I encourage you to continue to send your thoughts and questions about the bill to me.

To learn more about the Affordable Healthcare for America Act click on the links below.

Text of the Bill

• To read text of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, click here (PDF).
• To see a summary of the bill, click here (PDF).
• To see a detailed section by section summary of the bill, click here (PDF).

Fact Sheets

• To see the benefits to our Congressional District, click here (PDF).
• To read a fact sheet about how reform will work for you, click here (PDF).
• To see a guide to the bill for small businesses, click here (PDF).
• To see how the bill strengthens Medicare, click here (PDF).
• To see a timeline for implementation, click here (PDF).
• For more, detailed information about the bill, including fact sheets about how the bill affects women's health, residents of rural areas, and controls costs, click here.

• To read Rep. Eshoo's statement about passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, click here .

Biologics

H.R. 3962 contains an amendment that I drafted, based on Senator Kennedy's legislation in the Senate to move the expensive biologics of today to essentially a biosimilar or generic version. Like the 1984 Hatch-Waxman Act, which ushered in a new era of competition and cheaper drugs for traditional pharmaceuticals, the biologics legislation will create a pathway for follow-on versions of biologics.

We took great care in drafting the bill to ensure that sound science and patient safety are protected. We also included incentives for innovation and protection of intellectual property necessary to foster the investment and research that lead to life-saving and life-changing biotech treatments and therapies.

These pharmaceuticals could provide the breakthroughs we all hope for in treating cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and other deadly and debilitating diseases.

To learn more about my amendment click on the links below.

• To read a summary of the amendment, click here (PDF).
• To read a detailed section by section summary of the amendment, click here (PDF).
• To see a list of endorsers of my legislation, click here (DOC).
• To read my op-ed that appeared in the Hill News on July 8, 2009, click here.
• To read a San Jose Mercury News editorial about biologics, click here (PDF).
• To read my op-ed that appeared on the Huffington Post on October 29, 2009, click here.