Healthcare Focus Issue

 In 2019, Hurricane Darcy, a category 5 storm, decimated Wilmington, North Carolina. The town is home to many low and middle-  income Americans, young families and college students. Unfortunately many trees and houses fell, injuring numerous residents. My Red Cross team did all they could to help those who needed it, but some patients declined transfers to nearby hospitals. Since many did not have health insurance or the ability to pay out of pocket for their medical bills, I witnessed injured Americans refuse necessary healthcare because they were unable to pay for it. Healthcare is a right, and we, as Americans, need to start treating it like one. President Obama championed the fight for healthcare through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA helped many access healthcare who were previously unable to, but it is still not enough. 

Across America, rural and urban Americans are still suffering through the Opioid epidemic with little access to rehabilitation centers, senior Americans and Veterans cannot get the health screenings and other care they need, expectant mothers cannot access the pre-natal services needed to ensure the health of their babies, and young children are unable to see primary care physicians because their parents cannot afford health insurance. These continued disparities show the cracks present in the ACA–it left too much power in the hands of insurance companies, caused average taxpayers to incur a cost, and left it up to the states to opt-into much needed expansions. 

We are advocating for a public-option healthcare plan that allows Americans to opt-in. No unnecessary costs will be incurred by taxpayers to choose to opt-out of the program. It will also lower the barrier to access healthcare for all those who decide to participate in the program while maintaining an individual’s right to choose. We will also move to expand on the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018 to reduce the risks of pregnancy tied to inadequate access to healthcare. We will maintain the policy that individuals cannot be denied insurance based on pre-existing conditions. Finally, we will expand coverage for addiction and mental health centers. Our plan will also be passed through Congress to ensure that a future presidential administration cannot limit American’s access to healthcare. When it is ensured that all low and middle-income Americans have the right to necessary and quality healthcare, we all benefit. Class mobility will increase, communities will become more stable, and all Americans will benefit. We are stronger through Unity.