CHC Chair Barragán Invites Fat Joe to State of the Union
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), Nanette Barragán (CA-44) announced her guest for the State of the Union on March 7, 2023, will be Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known as Fat Joe. A Grammy-nominated artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist from the South Bronx in New York City, Fat Joe is a leader in the fight for real healthcare price transparency, and an ambassador for nonprofit advocacy organization Power to the Patients.
“I am incredibly excited to have Fat Joe as my guest at this year’s State of the Union,” said Chair Barragán. “For the past three years, President Biden has been focused on lowering costs for American families, including health care costs. House Democrats have worked with the President to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and take action to eliminate junk insurance as we continue to put people over politics. Fat Joe’s bipartisan work to highlight the need for price transparency at hospitals, from insurers, and other parts of our healthcare system is a vital way to ensure that American families aren’t blindsided by huge bills every time after they visit the hospital.
“We’ve seen momentum towards real transparency on actual costs of service in healthcare, in both the House and Senate, thanks to advocates like Fat Joe and Power to the Patients. In September, I co-sponsored the House passed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, a comprehensive package which includes provisions to strengthen requirements for hospitals and health insurance plans to make their prices more accessible. This bill, along with others that strengthen the requirements for hospitals and health insurance plans to make their prices both public and transparent, will allow patients, employers, employees, unions, and even governments to understand the exact prices of their procedures upfront. I look forward to having Fat Joe in the gallery Thursday night to represent families, patients, and advocates who continue to fight to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for American families.”
“I’m grateful for Chair Nanette Barragán’s invitation to attend the State of the Union and look forward to taking part in this historic evening,” Joe said. “It’s truly an honor.”
With an acclaimed career that has spanned four different decades, Joe has cemented his legacy as a hip-hop heavyweight, having amassed several multiplatinum and gold studio albums, mixtapes, singles and collaborations, including “Lean Back,” “What’s Luv,” “Make It Rain,” and “All The Way Up,” among countless others.
In April of 2022, Fat Joe announced a partnership with Power to the Patients to advocate for healthcare price transparency. On Tuesday, March 5, Fat Joe will join Power to the Patients for a bipartisan event with Members of Congress, Chuck D, and the Foo Fighters in support of healthcare price transparency to lower costs and protect all Americans.
In May of 2023, Fat Joe joined Congresswoman Barragán at the Capitol for a press conference with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to speak on the same issue.
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