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
Palm Desert, CA – Today, Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-Palm Desert) continued his COVID-19 public health education with a district-wide telephone town hall. Along with a panel of local public health experts, Dr. Ruiz answered the community’s questions on the coronavirus and our nation’s response. This comes after Dr. Ruiz released a series of social media PSAs in both English and Spanish to educate the public about commonly asked COVID-19 questions.
Washington, D.C. – As the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States and around the world, Reps. Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), Underwood (IL-14), and Roe (TN-01) have introduced a bipartisan bill in the House to analyze the dependence of the United States on critical drugs and medical devices that are sourced or manufactured outside of the United States.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) presided over the House floor before voting for an $8.3 billion emergency supplemental package to address the coronavirus. Just hours before, Dr. Ruiz spoke with Vice President Mike Pence during a briefing with other Members of Congress to discuss our national response to this urgent public health threat.
Washington, D.C. – Today Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) voted in favor of H.R. 2339, the Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act. The bill, which passed the House 213-195, includes a ban on the manufacturing and sale of flavored e-cigarettes and tobacco. Also included in the bill is a measure from Dr. Ruiz’s No VAPE Act, which would require harsher penalties on retailers who sell tobacco and vaping products to anyone under the age of 21.
Palm Springs, CA – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) spoke out against the Trump Administration’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2021, which would cut $1.6 trillion from health care programs over the next 10 years. Alongside local health care groups, Dr. Ruiz brought attention to the steep cuts the Trump Administration has proposed to programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid as President Trump is preparing for a fundraising trip to the Palm Springs area this week.
Washington, DC – Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) is pushing the Department of Health and Human Services to promptly reimburse Riverside County for expenses related to receiving, testing, housing, and monitoring Americans quarantined upon their return from China. Dr. Ruiz led a letter also signed by Rep. Mark Takano (CA-41) and Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-42) to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stressing the importance of reimbursement for future preparedness to safeguard the nation’s health.
Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) has received the prestigious Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service from the American Medical Association (AMA). Citing a demonstration for outstanding leadership and high personal integrity, the AMA bestows this prestigious award to “public servants in national, state, and local government who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to improving public health.” Only one member of the U.S.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz (CA-36) attended a briefing for members of Congress on the Coronavirus and updates surrounding the United States’ response to the disease. At the briefing, Dr. Ruiz questioned panelists about the role of March Air Reserve Base in the United States’ response to the Coronavirus and the reimbursement process for costs to Riverside County associated with the quarantine.
I am excited to report that I enthusiastically voted for H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which passed the House today. This historic legislation would lower the cost of your prescription drugs and strengthen and protect Medicare!
Thermal, Ca. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. announced the pending closure of Sun Valley Recycling Center, the facility at the center of recurring mulch fires that are posing a public health hazard to nearby schools and the surrounding community. The Bureau of Indian Affairs issued a Cease and Desist order to the facility Wednesday morning stating that if the dumping operations are not immediately halted, the owner will face an injunction and be held liable for damages and all costs associated with enforcement action.