Congressman Hoyer played a key role in the passage and enactment of the Affordable Care Act, which includes critical insurance reforms that put patients – not insurance companies – in control of their health care, while ensuring that the U.S. health care system continues to be the best in the world.
The Affordable Care Act is making a significant difference for Maryland families. Thanks to the law, up to 2.5 million Marylanders with pre-existing conditions such as asthma, cancer, or diabetes – including up to 320,000 children – no longer have to worry about being denied coverage or charged higher prices. Additionally, thousands of young adults in Maryland have gained health insurance because they can now stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26; and over 1.5 million Marylanders on private insurance have gained coverage for at least one free preventive health care service such as a mammogram, birth control, or an immunization. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the uninsured rate in Maryland is currently 6.1 percent, down from 12.9 percent in 2013. Through the Maryland Health Connection and our state’s expansion of Medicaid, over 400,000 Marylanders have enrolled in quality, affordable health care coverage.
Congressman Hoyer believes that Congress must continue to work to improve health care access and affordability and to strengthen the ACA and ensure all Americans can access affordable health coverage.
Congressman Hoyer is also a strong supporter of Social Security and Medicare, and has opposed efforts to privatize them. He is an advocate for ensuring their strength and long-term solvency and has fought to restore fiscal discipline to the federal government to ensure that these programs will be available for future generations. Congressman Hoyer has worked hard to strengthen the Medicare program and help ensure seniors can see their doctors. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Medicare costs – from premiums and deductibles to overall program spending – have slowed to well below the levels projected before the law passed.
Congressman Hoyer has also worked to improve and modernize the Social Security program by voting for investment in technology to enable the Social Security Administration to more efficiently process the increasing number of retirees and claims. He supported efforts to increase funding at Social Security to reduce the hearings backlog, prevent a backlog recurrence, and improve the speed and quality of services for retirees.
COLLEGE PARK, MD - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-D) joined President Barack Obama today for a health insurance reform rally at the University of Maryland - College Park. He released the following statement:________________________________________________________________________
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the White House issued a new report on data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau that show the number of uninsured Marylanders has increased, from 13.9% in 2001 to 15.4% in 2008, adding to a premium increase of 79% for Marylanders with insurance over the same eight year period. Rep. Hoyer released the following statement:________________________________________________________________________
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) released the following statement tonight after President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on health reform:________________________________________________________________________
WASHINGTON DC - Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) released the following statement today in recognition of Labor Day:________________________________________________________________________
Tonight Im here to talk about how vital health reform is what a reform bill will and will not do, and how it will ensure that you have affordable health care you can count on...________________________________________________________________________
WALDORF, MD - Hundreds of Marylanders joined Congressman Steny H. Hoyer this evening at North Point High School in Waldorf, MD for a town hall meeting on Congress' efforts to provide greater health care security for all Americans through health care reform.________________________________________________________________________
Since the start of the health care debate this year, Congressman Hoyer has been reaching out to constituents throughout the Fifth District, gathering input from citizens, health care professionals, patients, small business owners and workers.
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Congressman Ron Kind (WI) of the House Ways and Means Committee held a press conference call with small business owners to discuss how America's small businesses, which lack affordable coverage options today, will benefit substantially by reforms currently being considered in Congress. Below are the remarks by Majority Leader Hoyer.________________________________________________________________________
WALDORF, MD - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) announced today that he will hold a town hall meeting on health care reform for residents of the 5th Congressional District of Maryland on Tuesday, September 1st, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at North Point High School located at 2500 Davis Road, Waldorf, MD.________________________________________________________________________