Health Care
As a leader on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health – the committee in Congress responsible for writing the majority of our nation’s health care laws – I have worked with my colleagues to provide patients with the best possible health care system, encourage medical innovation and advanced research, support our medical practitioners, and create better pathways for new cures to find their way to patients. I am also focused on making sure our country is prepared for the next pandemic.
I believe the best health care is provided when doctors and patients decide on a health care plan, not when a government bureaucrat in Washington sets care standards. That is why I have worked tirelessly to deliver a better health care system for you.
We have the highest quality health care in the world, but our health care – from insurance to prescription drugs – costs way too much. That’s why I’ve spent so much time and effort working on and finding solutions for you and your family to make health care more affordable, in part by bringing down your prescription drug costs and out-of-pocket expenses.
In Congress, I have championed legislation to:
- Lower drug costs at the pharmacy counter;
- Encourage the development of treatments and cures for rare pediatric diseases and cancers;
- Improve and expand newborn screening panels to focus on rare diseases;
- Protect pre-existing conditions;
- Reauthorize our public health programs in a fiscally responsible way;
- Improve Alzheimer’s care and research;
- Repeal onerous health care taxes that drive up costs;
- Encourage more active households through tax credits;
In the 114th Congress, an Energy and Commerce led health initiative called the 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law. This innovative and bipartisan package of health care legislation advances the discovery, development, and delivery of life-saving treatments and cures. It is an excellent example of what can happen when Republicans and Democrats come together for a common goal.
More on Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) joined Rep. Deborah Ross (NC-02) in leading a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan last week urging the EPA to do more to test for PFAS chemicals, including GenX which has impacted the Cape Fear River region.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Richard Hudson, Fort Bragg's Congressman, applauded a final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Defense on June 17, 2021, that will allow service members to pursue medical malpractice claims in the military. The rule follows passage of the Rich Stayskal Act, legislation Rep. Hudson helped enact as part of the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Donald Trump in Dec. 2019.
WASHINGTON (WTVD) -- There was a breakthrough Thursday in a Troubleshooter investigation involving a Fort Bragg soldier's fight to give service members the right to seek compensation for medical malpractice.
On Thursday, the Department of Defense published a rule on how it will process claims under the Stayskal Act. It's a big win for Sgt. 1st Class Richard Stayskal, along with service members and their families as they will now have guidance on how claims of medical malpractice by military doctors will move forward.
WASHINGTON (WNCN) – Joining together in a bi-partisan letter, U.S. Reps Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Deborah Ross (D-NC) are pleading with the EPA to do more.
They want Chemours to pay for health and environmental testing of toxic chemicals used at its facility in Fayetteville.
“In particular people who produce the chemicals, who have access to the most information should care about the health and safety of people in North Carolina and across the country,” said Ross.
In late March, N.C. Sen. Thom Tillis announced he would soon undergo surgery to treat prostate cancer. The treatment is now complete and, family by his side, a full recovery is expected. But as the Senator noted, his “prognosis was good” because he went to his annual physical and diligently received recommended early cancer screening tests. As he correctly concluded, “Early detection can truly save lives.”And the numbers support that statement: Cancer caught at an early stage, before it spreads throughout the body, has a 90 percent survival rate for five years or more after diagnosis.
In late March, N.C. Sen. Thom Tillis announced he would soon undergo surgery to treat prostate cancer. The treatment is now complete and, family by his side, a full recovery is expected. But as the Senator noted, his “prognosis was good” because he went to his annual physical and diligently received recommended early cancer screening tests. As he correctly concluded, “Early detection can truly save lives.”And the numbers support that statement: Cancer caught at an early stage, before it spreads throughout the body, has a 90 percent survival rate for five years or more after diagnosis.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) and U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (TN-02) introduced the Trade-Related Intellectual Property Protection (TRIPP) Act, legislation focused on protecting intellectual property (IP) for medical innovations like coronavirus vaccines.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08), the House Republican leader on pandemic preparedness, has introduced legislation to enhance the development of vaccines through public-private partnerships with the FDA and NIH. The legislation was cosponsored by Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-18), the Health Subcommittee Chair. This is the second bill introduced by Rep. Hudson this week focused on pandemic preparedness issues.
We know there are certain controllable factors that affect our risk of developing cancer. Whether you smoke, what you eat and drink, and how often you exercise can all play a role.
We are also aware that some factors are out of our control, like family history of the disease. What most people do not know, however, is that our ZIP code has an effect on how we experience cancer.