Healthcare
Access to affordable Healthcare should be available to everyone, not just those employed by a company that provides it. In the industrialized world, the USA is the only country that has thousands of bankruptcies each year due to medical debt.
I will support initiatives aimed at addressing our healthcare system to ensure affordable coverage for all. No one should have to worry about coverage and care. For those with employer-sponsored healthcare that is adequate, no change is necessary, other than making plans more portable and affordable.
We have some of the best medical facilities and personnel in the world, and it is time for the system to catch up to the level of care possible for all of our citizens! And yet, with some of the very best medicine and medical abilities, we have regions, like ours, that are under-funded, under-equipped and under-staffed! Having recently witnessed both, excellence and shortcomings, first-hand, I can speak to issues that will work to improve access to state of the art medical care for everyone!
On a similar note, our pharmaceutical companies are world leaders, yet, for many, insulin had become unaffordable. With the passing of recent legislation, we may have solved the insulin costs for millions of Americans, with hope of reducing costs on other medications, as well.
At the end of the day, healthcare should be available to everyone and affordable.
Reproductive healthcare is a private matter and should always be between a woman and her doctor. A woman must always have the right to choose the size and timing of her family.
Addiction and Recovery
The drug epidemic has struck close to home for many of our citizens. I have lost two members of my family to drug use over the past 35 years and can relate to the loss that is shared among so many of us. The 'War on Drugs' is more than 50 years old, and has not protected our people as it was intended to. Whether it is opioids, meth or alcohol, preventing addiction is as important as ever. Fentanyl is the new 'killer'. A new strategy is in order. I will work with the task forces within law enforcement to understand their issues and support initiatives that reduce the influx of drugs into our communities. Providing the tools for law enforcement to 'get the drugs off the street' is key to solving this crisis.
Another key to the fentanyl crisis is to work directly with the source nations, especially, China. President Biden has involved both China and Mexico in solving the crisis. The Senate's border proposal also addresses fentanyl detection at the border.
The other piece of the puzzle is to keep pace at the other end of the issue - preventing addiction. And, when addiction occurs, how does the system come to the aid of the individual. I will meet with County and Municipal leaders, and their teams to develop plans to hopefully, reduce addiction and improve recovery outcomes.
And, of course, we must continue to look to the educational aspects of prevention with research, programs and funding.
Americans with Disabilities
The rights of the disabled to be able to move freely in society is dependent on physical changes to homes, places of business, parking lots, means of travel and much more. Though the American with Disabilities Act has made a difference for the disabled, there is more to do. Compliance with changes that accommodate the disabled can mean greater mobility and additional business to those that make the step toward inclusivity.
The rise of the 'baby boomers' into retirement age, has magnified the gaps that we must address going forward. Issues of the disabled are issues of the able. We must continue to make the world more accessible for everyone in all regards, whether it is new construction, existing structures, availability of accessible rest rooms, or the heights of beds in hotel rooms.
We should all support businesses that promote and offer access for the disabled members of our community!
Disability rights are human rights.