U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, a Democrat whose district includes most of Center City, West, and Northwest Philadelphia, has returned to Congress following a months-long recovery from a minor stroke. He pledged a renewed focus on defending health care protections and opposing potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare in his new term.
The Pennsylvania Democrat, who represents Philadelphia's 3rd Congressional District, was sworn in Wednesday after spending several months in rehabilitation.
"As someone with a pre-existing health condition, I'll keep fighting to defend the …
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U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, a Democrat whose district includes most of Center City, West, and Northwest Philadelphia, has returned to Congress following a months-long recovery from a minor stroke. He pledged a renewed focus on defending health care protections and opposing potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare in his new term.
The Pennsylvania Democrat, who represents Philadelphia's 3rd Congressional District, was sworn in Wednesday after spending several months in rehabilitation.
"As someone with a pre-existing health condition, I'll keep fighting to defend the Affordable Care Act for the millions of fellow Americans who have pre-existing health conditions," Evans said after taking his oath of office.
Evans, who serves on the influential House Ways and Means Committee, announced on May 23 that he had suffered a mild stroke.
“I wanted to let my constituents know that I am recovering from a minor stroke, and I want to emphasize the word minor,” he said in a statement. “It was minor enough that I didn’t even realize what had happened for a few days.”
At that time, Evans said his recovery would take about six weeks.
“I received this diagnosis this week and have been taking time to rest and recover and to decide how to go public in a way that would help to educate people,” he said. “In the coming months, I want to help educate people and remove the stigma that sometimes accompanies strokes – many people can recover and continue on with their life and their work.”
During his recovery, Evans has maintained a presence in his district, meeting with constituents at his Northwest Philadelphia office while completing rehabilitation.
Last week, Evans said he will continue seeking bipartisan cooperation while standing firm against any attempts to roll back recent healthcare reforms, including the $2,000 cap on Medicare out-of-pocket prescription drug costs that took effect this month.
"We cannot go back to the days when people could be denied coverage or have their rates go sky-high because of a health condition," Evans said.
First elected to Congress in 2016, Evans represents a district that includes Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North, South, Southwest and Center City Philadelphia.