LOWERING HEALTH CARE COSTS
AS A REGISTERED NURSE, PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT, AND A WOMAN WITH A PRE-EXISTING HEART CONDITION, LAUREN’S NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN CONGRESS IS ENSURING ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR OUR FAMILIES AND ELIMINATING COST BARRIERS TO CARE.
PROGRESS
As part of her work to eliminate cost barriers to health care, Lauren wrote the Health Care Affordability Act with her constituents top of mind. Signed into law as part of the American Rescue Plan, and later extended through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Health Care Affordability Act limits the cost of health care coverage for people who choose Marketplace plans to eight and a half percent or less of their income. This law has proven to be so popular, over 16 million Americans signed up for health care coverage in 2022, with 4 in 5 enrollees finding a plan for $10 or less per month.
Recognizing the strain of the pandemic on young people, Lauren secured a 700% increase in school-based mental health care. Additionally, Lauren brought over $1M to IL-14 colleges to train school-based mental health providers. Lauren responded to skyrocketing insulin prices with the bipartisan Lower Insulin Costs Now Act. The legislation was signed into law by President Trump in 2019, to make lower-cost, generic insulin available more quickly. Now, insulin costs are now capped at $35/month for seniors on Medicare.
As part of her work to address maternal mortality, Lauren wrote the Protecting Moms Who Served Act. This legislation is one of several Momnibus bills to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and advance birth equity across the United States. The Protecting Moms Who Served Act was signed into law by President Biden in November 2021.
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Lauren continues to advance legislation to
expand the mental health workforce • support rural health care systems • end our nation’s maternal health crisis • and modernize our public health data infrastructure
