Health Care
As an Emergency Room doctor, I know how important it is for people in the 36th district to have access to quality, affordable health care. Some improvements have been made to our healthcare system, such as allowing parents to insure their children until the age of 26, making prescription drugs more affordable for seniors, and ensuring that people with preexisting conditions cannot be denied insurance coverage. However, our system remains imperfect and expensive, wasting billions every year and we must continue working to improve it.
We must address the waste, fraud and abuse in our health care system. In my position on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I have focused on improving the health care system for our nation’s veterans and developing bipartisan solutions to end the Veterans Affairs backlog of disability claims. There are real opportunities to save the American public billions of dollars, like using electronic medical records to coordinate care and make our healthcare system more efficient. Also, allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices on behalf of beneficiaries would save over a billion dollars and make prescriptions more affordable for our seniors.
I am first and foremost a physician, and the health of our community is my chief concern. I will continue to fight to protect the Medicare and Social Security benefits that seniors have worked hard to earn and find bipartisan solutions that will improve our nation’s healthcare system. Good ideas don’t belong to a single party, and I will continue to reach across the aisle to improve healthcare for the residents of California’s 36th Congressional district.
More on Health Care
Washington, DC – Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA) is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release important data on air quality monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining a bicameral letter pointing to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities experiencing environmental injustices, Rep. Ruiz, and other members of the House and Senate, called for the release of key data to help the public understand the public health risks certain communities face. Dr.
Lawmakers say in order to prevent another major COVID-19 outbreak the country needs a nationwide testing and tracing strategy.
Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) says by the fall, states must do widespread COVID-19 testing and identify everyone who comes in contact with positive cases.
“The only way we have to defeat this virus is to keep people who are positive, who are contagious away from other people,” Rep. Ruiz said.
But he says states can’t do it alone.
Washington, D.C. - Today Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) voted for the Heroes Act, coronavirus relief legislation to provide desperately needed support for families and essential workers, fund testing and contact tracing measures, and bring funds to cities and tribal governments.
Washington, DC – As Congress considers additional funding to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, members of the House and Senate have introduced legislation seeking to address the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has on communities experiencing environmental injustices. Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA) introduced H.R.6692, the Environmental Justice COVID-19 Act, alongside Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA).
Washington, DC – Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. led a letter signed by 47 bipartisan members of the House calling for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to include dedicated funding for Indian Health Service, Tribal health programs, and Urban Indian Health Organizations (I/T/U) to recover from significant COVID-19 related losses in revenue in the next stimulus legislation.
Statement from U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz, MD:
"Removing precautions too early and without safeguards will only harm individuals and the economy in our community further. We haven’t yet hit our coronavirus peak, our Valley hospital COVID-19 occupancy rates are going up again, and we don’t have the safeguards like enough rapid testing, contact tracing, isolation systems, business and worker safety measures, or enforcement mechanisms in place to prevent or contain new flare ups.
Washington, DC – Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. today released a statement following the House passage of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act – emergency relief funding that will provide funding for small businesses, hospitals, providers, and increased testing to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Statement from U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz, MD:
Washington, DC – Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D., Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) and 28 other bipartisan members of California’s Congressional Delegation wrote to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Department of Interior Secretary Bernhardt on Wednesday urging them to support tribal governments by quickly disbursing funds from the CARES Act.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. applauded passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, historic families and workers-first legislation, which will now go to the President’s desk for his signature.
Washington D.C. – Today, Dr. Ruiz announced the introduction of the Care for COVID-19 Act, which would require health plans to cover diagnostic and treatment services related to COVID-19, at no cost to the patient. The bill also would create a special enrollment period for individuals who are impacted by COVID-19 to ensure that patients who are eligible for marketplace health plans would be able to enroll. The bill was introduced alongside Rep. Malinowski (NJ-07).