December Recap: Chairman Griffith Urges Public Support of Health Care Initiatives

U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, made several engagements to help advance health care measures, tout federal agency initiatives and encourage funding support for rural health care in Virginia.

Chairman Griffith managed rule debate on the House floor to help advance a series of measures, most notably H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act. This bill reflects House Republicans' commitment to lower health care costs for all Americans. Additionally, Chairman Griffith spoke in support of measures that protect minors from dangerous, permanent procedures and shield federal Medicaid dollars from funding gender transition procedures. All three measures passed the House! More on Chairman Griffith's remarks during rules debate can be found here.

As part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) roundtable on Lyme Disease, Chairman Griffith participated with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. The roundtable focused on Lyme Disease and other tickborne illnesses. Chairman Griffith expressed support for initiatives to help study tickborne illnesses and identify potential treatments. You can see Chairman Griffith's remarks from the HHS roundtable here.

Additionally, Chairman Griffith joined the Republican members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation in a letter to CMS Administrator Dr. Oz to express support for Virginia's application to access federal funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program. In the joint letter, the Delegation wrote in part, "We hope that you give this proposal by Virginia full consideration and look favorably on the initiatives they plan to undertake. The Commonwealth of Virginia is committed to helping individuals in rural communities receive the best possible care and working towards the stated goals of this Rural Health Transformation program."

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