America is the richest country in the world. It is unconscionable that we are the only major nation that does not guarantee healthcare coverage. For too long, healthcare has prioritized corporate profits over real people. It’s time for that to end. In Maine, too many families struggle to get care close to home – especially in rural communities where hospitals and clinics are under constant threat. I’ll fight to make sure every Mainer has access to quality, affordable care, no matter their ZIP code.
Here’s how:
- I support passing a Medicare for All system, and creating a single payer universal single-payer national health insurance system.
- People who are eligible would be automatically signed up, and the entire cost of the plan would be covered. No deductibles. No co-pays. No premiums.
- I support allowing folks to stay on private insurance.
- This system would preserve and expand gains from the Affordable Care Act and provide access to private insurance for those who want it, while guaranteeing full healthcare coverage for everyone.
While we work to pass Medicare for All, we must proactively continue to pass new legislation to improve our current system. That means:
- Establishing a public insurance option built on existing Medicare infrastructure, with generous subsidies and cost support. This would immediately lower costs for families by providing real competition in the marketplace.
- Low-income families will be eligible for subsidies that could make premiums as low as $0.
- This plan introduces competition to the marketplace to provide strong pressure on private insurers to lower their costs, making healthcare more accessible for all.
- Additionally, we must protect and expand existing access – I’ll defend the Affordable Care Act, fight back against Medicaid cuts, and push to expand coverage so all Mainers can see a doctor without going broke.
- It’s time to end price gouging and hold Big Pharma accountable.. I’ll work to let Medicare negotiate all prescription drugs and bring oversight to sky-high drug prices.
- Insurance should cover all maternity and family care, from prenatal checkups and ultrasounds to delivery and postpartum care — with no co-pays or deductibles. I’ll also fight to make sure IVF is covered so families can make the choices that are right for them.
- I support expanding Medicare to fully cover dental, hearing and vision care for the 68 million American seniors and disabled individuals who rely on Medicare.
I understand these struggles firsthand. When I was born, my mom had to leave the workforce to provide childcare for my family. But when my twin brother and I turned 3, she was forced to go back to work outside the home to provide health insurance for our family, because the church my father served couldn’t afford it.
My experience taught me whose side I need to be on. And you can trust me to always put patients first – because I’ll never take a dime from pharmaceutical or insurance companies. My priority is putting Mainers first.