Healthcare

No one should have to choose between seeing a doctor and putting food on the table. Yet, families across the San Joaquin Valley face this impossible choice every day. One of the fastest-growing regions in the country, our Valley struggles with a severe shortage of doctors, nurses, and medical facilities, made worse by language, financial, and cultural barriers that keep too many from getting the care they deserve.

Congressman Jim Costa knows that healthcare is not a privilege, but a right. Growing up in the Valley, he saw firsthand how critical access to care is to every family’s health and prosperity. His mother always reminded him: "Without your health, you have nothing." That’s why, from the State Legislature to Congress, Costa has made it his mission to fix our broken healthcare system and ensure everyone can afford the care they need.
 

Expanding Access to Healthcare

In 2010, Costa worked with President Obama and House Democrats to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a landmark law that helped over 35 million Americans gain health coverage and protected 130 million with pre-existing conditions from being denied care. Despite repeated Republican attempts to repeal it, Costa has stood firm in defending the ACA. Under President Biden, Costa supported the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, which strengthened the ACA and extended premium subsidies through 2025, saving over 13 million Americans an average of $800 annually.

Costa is a strong advocate for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), voting multiple times to reauthorize and expand it, providing healthcare coverage to over 12 million children. He also delivered funding to expand services at Valley Children’s Hospital, one of the largest pediatric healthcare networks in the nation.

As part of his efforts to lower healthcare costs, Costa helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which capped seniors’ out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000, limited insulin costs to $35 per month for Medicare recipients, and empowered Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. These efforts pushed pharmaceutical companies to lower insulin prices for all Americans. He also supported making hearing aids available over the counter, helping families save up to $3,000.

Strengthening the Healthcare Workforce

Jim Costa has been a driving force in tackling the healthcare shortage facing the San Joaquin Valley. As a state legislator, he helped establish the region’s first and only trauma center between Sacramento and Los Angeles and championed the creation of UCSF Fresno, laying the foundation for training doctors right here at home.

To meet the urgent need for more local healthcare providers, Costa introduced the Expanding Medical Education Act, securing federal funding to build and grow medical schools in underserved areas, supporting plans for a full medical school at UCSF Fresno and UC Merced. Costa has secured funding to expand nursing programs at Fresno City College, grow UCSF Fresno residencies, and fought to keep Madera Community Hospital open. Costa’s commitment is clear: everyone in the San Joaquin Valley deserves access to quality care, close to home.