Health Care

“It’s very encouraging to see how many people were willing to turnout on a Saturday in Willimantic and across the country to show their support for preserving the Affordable Care Act – it demonstrates just how important this law has become,” said Courtney. “Sometimes people forget that many of the protections they now take for granted, like allowing young people to stay on their parent's plans until age 26, ban against lifetime limits on coverage, protections for those with pre-existing conditions, and a prohibition against charging women more for coverage only exist because of the Affordable Care Act."

“These savings are providing critical relief to local seniors who previously had to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to obtain their prescription drugs,” said Courtney. “For many eastern Connecticut seniors on fixed annual incomes, the average savings of more than $1,808 per year can often mean the difference between purchasing medication or food, and being able to live with dignity in retirement. This data shows how the Affordable Care Act is working for eastern Connecticut’s seniors, and what is at risk as the debate over repealing law continues in the weeks ahead.”

“I am delighted that President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act into law today. This legislation was packed with important changes to healthcare policy which will make a meaningful difference in eastern Connecticut and around the country,” said Courtney. “I am particularly pleased that following my bill to authorize emergency funding to fight the opioid epidemic, this law authorized $1 billion dollars for grants to individual states to combat addiction. The Cures Act also contains important changes to tick-borne and Lyme disease research, and incentives for pediatric physicians – both changes mirror provision in bipartisan bills I have been leading for several years.”

“I am very pleased that the 21st Century Cures Act passed with a number of important wins for eastern Connecticut which I have been championing for several years,” said Courtney. “The final version of the Cures Act represents a strong bipartisan effort to address several major outstanding healthcare issues nationwide. I am pleased that a number of my top priorities such as funding to address opioid addiction, changes to tick-borne and Lyme disease research, and incentives for pediatric physicians were included. These provisions will make a real difference for people back home in eastern Connecticut. Since I first introduced a bill calling for emergency funding to address the opioid epidemic in February, support for federal action has been steadily increasing on both sides of the aisle. What this bill demonstrates is that Congress is finally ready to put its money where its mouth is and provide our communities with the support they need to turn the tide on drug addiction. Lyme disease, which is named after a town in my district, has long plagued eastern Connecticut and large swaths of our country. It is time that Congress makes addressing tick-borne diseases a national priority for our medical community. The provisions contained in the 21st Century Cures Act will accelerate the development of new protocols for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of tick-related illnesses like Lyme disease."

"I am very pleased that several top priorities for eastern Connecticut will be included in the final version of the 21st Century Cures Act which is expected to pass this week. From new funding to combat the growing opioid crisis to making the fight against tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease a national priority - this bill contains substantive wins for Connecticut that will make a real difference for people back home. Since I first introduced my bill in February calling for emergency funding to address the opioid epidemic, support has been steadily increasing for federal action on both sides of the aisle. What this bill demonstrates is that Congress is finally ready to put its money where its mouth is and provide our communities with the support they need to turn the tide on drug addiction."

“Today, 78 people will likely die of a heroin or opioid overdose,” wrote the members. “This epidemic rages on across the United States, and local law enforcement and public health agencies are overwhelmed by need. It is our responsibility to provide them with the resources they desperately require to save lives and repair their communities. We continue to hear from leaders in law enforcement and in addiction recovery who say they are unable to provide assistance to needy residents because they lack the funds. As you complete work on the 21st Century Cures legislation, we write to encourage you to include immediate funding to combat heroin and opioid addiction and overdose in this package. Knowing that Cures will likely be one of the final pieces of legislation that Congress acts on this year, we hope you will consider this a final opportunity to take needed action to combat this crisis."

“The Census Bureau reports that the number of uninsured in eastern Connecticut’s Second District stood at 3.6% in 2015, down from 4.7% in 2014,” said Courtney. “These numbers are more impressive when compared to 2013 when the Connecticut health insurance exchange went live. At that time, the uninsured rate stood at 7.2%, which meant that thousands of residents – including children and working age adults were shut out of coverage due high costs and other barriers such as suffering from a preexisting condition. The Second District now has the lowest number of uninsured of all five Connecticut congressional districts, and that is due in large part to the hard work of community volunteers at health centers, hospitals, libraries and senior centers who have helped so many to find coverage.”

“I applaud this move by the VA, streamlining the process for our veterans in need of care for their hearing and sight,” said Courtney. “These are the kinds of improvements that the VA has needed to implement, and I am glad to see them moving toward giving our veterans what they deserve: the finest care as promptly as possible.”