Issue Position: Health Care
Issue Position
Health care should be a right for all, not a privilege for a few.
Under the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion, New Mexico's uninsured rate is no longer the highest in the nation. I voted in favor of the ACA in 2009 and since then I have fought hard to defend it from Republican repeal efforts. I will continue to fight to improve the ACA, to lower the cost of coverage, and to increase access to high-quality doctors.
Insurance companies shouldn't be able to gouge you and your family on premiums, copays, and deductibles. And pharmaceutical companies shouldn't be forcing New Mexican families to make decisions between paying for their prescription drugs or paying their rent.
That's why I am a co-sponsor of Medicare for All -- because Congress must send a strong statement to the health care industry that things need to change -- now. And as scientists continue to produce safer and better life-saving medications, I support giving Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices.
That's also why I wrote legislation to allow consumers to buy into Medicaid -- because I support using a public option to increase competition and drive down costs. I believe a strong Medicaid program is not simply a safety net for the poor, it's a ladder to the middle class, and I'll continue to be its champion in the U.S. Senate.
My Record on Health Care
Highest-ranking co-sponsor of Medicare for All in the U.S. House of Representatives
Author of the State Public Option Act, the only universal health care coverage legislation that explicitly repeals the anti-choice Hyde Amendment
Proud supporter of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion
Demanded accountability from corporations to put an end to surprise medical billing
Cosponsored the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2017 to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.
Voted to bring more generics to market to lower costs of life-saving prescription drugs for families.
Lead author of the Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act of 2016, which authorized $1.5 billion in federal funds that have been distributed to all 50 states to address addiction. New Mexico has been able to use this money to reach approximately 10,000 individuals struggling with opioid use disorder per year.
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