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Representative Tom Cole logo

Healthcare

More than half of Americans obtain their health insurance through private health insurers. I strongly support a role for private enterprise in American healthcare and believe the answers to our nation’s health care problems entail market-based solutions, not in granting the federal government sole control over the nation’s health care industry.

Americans deserve access to health care options that fit the needs of their families. Congress must expand access to health care savings accounts (HSAs), which enable individuals to set aside pre-tax dollars for their health care costs, and the services and products an HSA can cover. Congress should also make permanent current – and temporary – expansions in telehealth services, which have broadened health care access for millions of families. Congress must also address continued market consolidation in the health care industry, which reduces patient choice and needlessly drives up the cost of health care.

As a former member of the House Appropriations Committee’s panel for health care spending, I have been a strong supporter of increasing resources for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal support for medical research at our nation’s universities and laboratories – including those in Oklahoma – quickens the pace of research, offers the chance to bring to market new and innovative therapies, and supports local economies where such research is conducted. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic taught us that public health security is national security. It is important we maintain a well-resourced public health infrastructure, both federally and at the state-level and ensure public health officials make transparent, fact-based decisions in the public interest.

Since entering Congress, protection of life has been one of my highest priorities. Throughout my service in the U.S. House of Representatives, I have voted in support of life and currently have a 100 percent pro-life voting record. I will continue to defend the sanctity of life with every vote I cast.