Issue Position: Healthcare

Issue Position

Healthcare is a fundamental human right, not a privilege only for those who can afford it. Our healthcare system is broken. Many Americans cannot afford preventative care or life-saving treatments, and over 10% remain uninsured. Last fall, the Republicans passed a disastrous tax-cut bill that repealed the individual mandate, the glue that held the Affordable Care Act together. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 13 million additional Americans will lose coverage because of the GOP Tax Bill.

Mary Gay supports universal healthcare and believes that every American should have quality healthcare without being subjected to financial hardship. She supports a transition to Medicare for All, but believes that in making that transition, we must protect the Affordable Care Act and support a public option system that protects the most vulnerable Americans who lack healthcare, or who only received it through the ACA. She knows that our veterans are not receiving the care they deserve, and that women's healthcare must be a top priority.

Furthermore, the opioid epidemic continues to ravage the country, having killed over 60,000 Americans in the last year alone. In Congress, Mary Gay will support legislation including, but not limited to:

Repair the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act was a great first step to achieving universal health care, but it is not perfect. Ten percent of Americans are still uninsured, and last fall's GOP Tax Bill repealed the individual mandate, endangering the ACA. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the loss of the individual mandate will lead to 13 million more Americans uninsured. As part of the path to Medicare for All, Mary Gay will support legislation that provides immediate fixes to the ACA, including allowing undocumented immigrants to purchase health care through the ACA exchanges.

Transition to Medicare for All

Mary Gay wants to reach full universal health care coverage through a single-payer, Medicare for All system. Mary Gay will support Medicare for All legislation that provides a strong safety net during the transition period to single payer coverage. Many Americans received health care for the first time in their lives under the ACA, and many like their employer-sponsored health insurance plans. Rather than eliminating these plans immediately, Mary Gay will support a path to single payer that allows a public option during the transition period. This transition period will expand health care to all people living in the United States, support all-payer rate setting, which in the state of Maryland drastically reduced health care costs, and eliminate premiums.

Expand Medicare To Provide Community-Based Care for Seniors

Medicare has never provided for long term care coverage. Instead, the system relies on Medicaid for long term care, but seniors have to impoverish themselves in order to qualify, and such care is usually only available in nursing homes, rather than home care. The elderly community does not want to have to rely on nursing homes. Mary Gay will support legislation to expand Medicare to provide long term care for the elderly and disabled.

Protect and Improve Health Care for Veterans

Approximately 1.75 million, or nearly one in ten, veterans receive their health care through Medicaid. 340,000 veterans receive coverage through the ACA's Medicaid expansion. Now, Republican efforts to cap and cut Medicaid puts many veterans at risk. We need to expand access, coordination, and quality of care provided through the Veterans Administration, which has been plagued by inefficiency and delay. We also need to ensure that the VA improves and expands health care for our female and transgender veterans.

Reduce Prescription Drug Prices

Our federal government needs to become an ally to consumers to drive down drug prices, whether by negotiating drug prices with companies, funding research and development of new drugs, or preventing practices such as "evergreening" which uses the patent system to prevent the marketing of generic drugs. Mary Gay will support legislation that strengthens the federal government's ability to regulate drug prices.

End the Opioid Epidemic

The opioid epidemic has quickly become the largest public health crisis in decades. Last year alone, over 64,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, more than the combined death tolls of the Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars. Each day, 122 Americans die of heroin overdoses. Life expectancy in the United States has declined for the third year in a row, due in part to this epidemic. The opioid epidemic is complex and requires a multi-faceted approach. Mary Gay will support legislation to limit the damage of addiction, including expanding the use of Narcan and safe injection sites. She will also sponsor legislation to increase rehabilitation treatment options so that addicts who are ready to seek treatment are not turned away, and she will ensure that insurance companies provide adequate coverage for treatment, including longer stays and medically assisted treatment. She will promote legislation to better train medical professionals on the use and abuse of opioids, punish predatory opioid manufacturers who profit off of the misery of addicts, train teachers to recognize early signs of drug addiction, and monitor prescriptions for abuse.

Lastly, we need a government response that promotes addiction treatment instead of criminalization. Mary Gay will support legislation to decriminalize nonviolent drug use and provide clemency for nonviolent drug offenders. For more information, see our Criminal Justice Reform issue page.

Protect Reproductive Health

Mary Gay knows that protecting reproductive health care is vital to economic and personal success for women. Mary Gay will support legislation to protect reproductive health and insurance, increase funding for Planned Parenthood, provide easier access to affordable birth control and abortion services, promote maternal health care, and increase the availability of sex education and teen pregnancy prevention programs. For more details on Mary Gay's reproductive health care platform, see our Gender Equity issue page.

Achieve True Mental Health Care Parity

The Mental Health Parity Act was passed in 1996, but true mental health care parity has never been reached. For many Americans, even the most basic mental health care services remains unaffordable. We must act swiftly to ensure that patients get the care they need. In Congress, Mary Gay will support legislation mandating that insurance companies cover mental health treatment costs.

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