Hudson Votes for Entitlement Reform, Health Care Innovation

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) voted to cut mandatory spending and advance permanent entitlement and regulatory reforms that will yield billions in savings while accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of life-saving treatments and cures.

“Our country is headed toward a horrific debt crisis driven by mandatory spending on entitlement programs like Medicaid and Medicare. While today’s bill isn’t perfect, it cuts long-term mandatory spending significantly and reforms Medicaid and Medicare to help bend that cost curve and avoid a fiscal wreck in the future. This is a vote for conservative entitlement reform that just so happens to invest in health care and save lives, and it’s a huge win for both fiscal responsibility and patients.”

The 21st Century Cures Act is an innovative approach to health care reform that will deliver better, faster, and safer treatments and cures to diseases that currently lack effective therapies. Not only will this bill help save and improve lives, streamline and modernize regulations, and keep good-paying jobs here in the United States, it will save taxpayer dollars by providing meaningful regulatory and budget reforms.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the 21^st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) will reduce the deficit by more than $500 million over the first decade by advancing permanent entitlement reforms. The bill includes five years of targeted, offset investments in health research and innovation for the FDA and NIH.

Over the next 20 years, it is estimated that this bill will reduce spending by at least $7 billion through targeted cuts in mandatory spending. Additionally, it will save dollars by developing life-saving cures rather than continuing to shoulder the heavy cost of chronic diseases and illnesses, much of which is carried by taxpayers.