OPINION:
Health care isn’t just a policy issue it’s personal. As a member of Congress, I’ve made it my mission to strengthen Medicare, expand access to care, and fix our nation’s broken behavioral health system. That means removing barriers, supporting innovation, and ensuring every American especially our seniors, Veterans, children, and families in crisis can get the help they need, when they need it.
One of my top priorities has been protecting Medicare’s solvency and improving access for the 65 million Americans who rely on it. That’s why I introduced the Promoting Fairness for Medicare Providers Act, which addresses harmful disparities in Medicare reimbursements for high-tech, office-based specialists. These services are often the backbone of local community care for seniors. Pushing patients into hospitals due to cost pressures isn’t smart policy it’s a disservice to those we’re supposed to protect. We’ve also seen how critical telehealth can be, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. I co-authored the EASE Behavioral Health Act to make permanent the tele-mental health expansions we introduced during the public health emergency, ensuring seniors, people with disabilities, and children can access behavioral care from wherever they are. But telehealth expansion alone doesn’t fix everything. We must enforce parity treating mental health as equally important as physical health. I helped lead the bipartisan Mental Health Parity Compliance Act, requiring insurers to be held accountable through regular audits. Mental illness should never receive second-class treatment.
I’ve also worked to ensure that seniors have access to the most advanced diagnostic testing. There have been incredible breakthroughs in scientific advancements that help lead to early diagnosis and intervention. I want to be sure that my constituents have access to these tools. I’m leading efforts to advance the Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act, which supports Medicare coverage for innovative technologies. Additionally, I’m focused on improving the Medicare clinical diagnostic laboratory service payment structure formerly addressed through the SALSA Act so that labs can continue offering timely and affordable testing services without facing unsustainable reimbursement cuts. These reforms are essential to catching diseases early and improving outcomes for seniors.
To build out real support systems, I co-sponsored the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, which passed overwhelmingly in the House and helped create a stronger crisis-care infrastructure. I also championed the Ensuring Access to Quality Sober Living Act to protect people in recovery from exploitation and to establish national standards for sober homes. Through my work on the SUPPORT Act, I’ve fought to ensure foster children especially those in trauma-informed residential care don’t lose Medicaid access because of outdated bureaucratic definitions. My bipartisan Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act corrects this technical glitch to make sure our most vulnerable kids can continue to heal in the right setting.
We’ve made real progress. In recent years, my bipartisan legislation has helped standardize suicide screening in emergency rooms, expand electronic prescribing to fight opioid abuse, and bring suicide prevention training into schools through the STANDUP Act. These are tangible steps that save lives. I’ve also been a strong advocate for improving Veterans’ access to alternative and complementary therapies, including treatments like equine therapy, acupuncture, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. These holistic approaches have proven to be effective in addressing PTS, chronic pain, and other conditions that disproportionately affect our Veterans. I’ll continue working to expand access to these therapies through the VA and community-based care options.
But there’s more to do. In this term, I am once again pushing my Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, which would help curb a dangerous new street drug causing fatal overdoses, while still protecting access for legitimate veterinary use. I’ve also partnered with colleagues to reintroduce the SAFA Act to protect children’s access to life-saving medical devices, and I’m working across the aisle to address the mental health crisis tied to social media use among young people. As Chair of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee, I’m helping to lead efforts to pass a national data privacy standard with enhanced protections for kids online and I’m working to reauthorize the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). We must empower parents with the tools they need to keep kids safe. This is one of my top personal priorities this term.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Building a healthier America: From mental health to medical coverage
Our work is far from over. But I will keep fighting for smart, compassionate, and bipartisan solutions that put patients first. Every American regardless of age, income, or ZIP code deserves access to quality health care, including mental health support. I’m committed to building a system that reflects that fundamental truth.
• Rep. Gus Bilirakis serves Florida’s 12th Congressional District. He serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he chairs the Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee and is also a senior member of the Health Subcommittee and the Communications and Technology Subcommittee.
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