Issue Position: Health and Wellness

Issue Position

1) Promote Child and Family Fitness: Childhood obesity has become an epidemic and is the main driver of ever-increasing health care costs. Advances in technology have meant that more children stay inside more of the time, and this trend has disturbing implications. In the Assembly, I will be a tireless advocate for healthy, locally produced foods, parks and open space preservation in order to give our children the opportunity to experience all the beauty and healthy outdoor activities our region has to offer. We can increase the use of our local resources, such as the soon-to-be-expanded Hudson Mohawk Rail Trail, in ways that are both recreational and beneficial, ultimately improving our our quality of life, increasing appreciation of the environment, and preventing unnecessary costs for our health care system and our state budget.

2) Health Care Reform: The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was a major improvement over our current dysfunctional system, yet a national, partisan political war is threatening our progress. Two years ago, our neighbors could be denied access to insurance for pre-existing conditions; today, that's illegal. Two years ago, a child's health insurance would have lapsed when they left home; today, they are coverable under their parents' insurance until age 26. These changes are crucial to reforming our broken healthcare system, and we cannot afford to go back. Access to quality care is a right, not a privilege, and expanding the pool of insured helps alleviate our national and state financial burdens. If elected to the Assembly, I will work with coalitions in New York to support the gains we've made and cannot afford to lose. This urgent work includes supporting the Governor's Health Exchange program, which will expand access and increase choice for those purchasing care.

However, the PPACA is the beginning, not the end, of the fight for better healthcare for all. I will keep pushing through the State of New York, and lobbying nationally, until everyone who needs health care can get health care, in an affordable, cost-effective way.

3) Women's Reproductive Health: Patricia supports the Reproductive Health Act. The RHA continues New York State's progressive, trailblazing leadership in women's reproductive rights. The women of this state need to know that their reproductive choices will be respected and that safe, legal options will be always available to them. A recent poll shows that 7 out of 10 New York State voters across political and religious lines support this legislation. Nationally, women's health care has been under siege, with 1,100 provisions to restrict or ban reproductive health care introduced in 2011 alone. It is time to take this last step to update our law and renew New York's commitment to women's reproductive health. Too many state legislatures have introduced or passed controversial measures meant to punish women who only want to make their own personal, private health care decisions.

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