Issue Position: Lower Health Care Costs and Cover Everyone with High Quality Care.

Issue Position

Ohio's 11th Congressional District includes some of the richest and poorest communities in the country. Too many of our neighbors rely on emergency rooms because they do not have a primary care doctor. In the richest country on earth, nobody should go without health care.

I will work with the Biden-Harris Administration to pass a high-quality public option that will lower costs, drive down prescription drug costs, and expand coverage to achieve universal health care. I believe a public option that President Biden supports is the fastest and most immediate mechanism to get there. I would vote for Medicare for All if it came to the House floor.

Too many Ohioans cannot afford their prescription drugs, while drug companies make higher and higher profits. We need to pass legislation that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs, end big drug companies' tax breaks for advertising, and end backroom deals like "pay for delay," which limits competition from generic drugs and drives up our costs as patients.

My work with First Year Cleveland inspired me to write and pass landmark legislation declaring racism a public health crisis in Cuyahoga County. But we have a lot more work to do, as racial disparities in health care have only been exacerbated during the pandemic. I am glad that the Biden-Harris Administration is prioritizing health equity and will continue to work for equitable distribution of COVID relief.

Additionally, I will work to tackle the high infant and maternal mortality rates. The mortality rate for Black infants in Ohio is three times as high as the rate for white infants. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from childbirth and pregnancy-related causes than white women. We should extend Medicaid coverage -- which covers nearly half of all births -- from 60 days to one year for new moms. We must act to remove discrimination and bias in health care. I am a strong supporter of Birthing Beautiful Communities, a Cleveland-based group providing culturally sensitive education and advocacy to women during and after pregnancy, and should I have the honor to be elected Congresswoman I will continue to support community-based solutions to this crisis.

Source