Sheldon Whitehouse has made reforming our broken health care system a hallmark of his career. During his time as Rhode Island’s Attorney General, he founded the Rhode Island Quality Institute, a collaborative effort between health care providers, insurers, and government that has pioneered efforts to expand the use of electronic medical records and improve the quality of care delivered across the state.
In the Senate, as a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), he has established himself as a leader on health care delivery system reform and health information technology (HIT), working to secure new investments in HIT through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. He has held hearings in the Special Committee on Aging on improving care for patients with advanced illnesses. To combat the national opioid epidemic, Whitehouse authored the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bipartisan law that gives states resources to prevent drug abuse, treat addiction, reduce overdose deaths, and support those in recovery. He helped to pass the Affordable Care Act, which expanded access to health insurance for people across the country, while also making important changes to the ways we deliver and pay for care that will lead to lower costs and better health outcomes. To build on the progress made by the Affordable Care Act, Whitehouse introduced legislation to add a public option to the health insurance exchanges, which would guarantee consumers access to high-quality, low-cost plans.
A graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Whitehouse served as U.S. Attorney and Attorney General of Rhode Island before being elected to the Senate in 2006. In addition to HELP and Aging, he is a member of the Budget Committee; the Environment and Public Works Committee; and the Judiciary Committee.
He and his wife Sandra, a marine biologist and environmental advocate, live in Newport. They have two children.
For the latest updates on Senator Whitehouse’s work, follow @SenWhitehouse on Twitter and visit facebook.com/SenatorWhitehouse.