Issue Position: Health care is a right, not a privilege.

Issue Position

The pandemic has laid bare the gaps in public and private systems that many of us have known existed and are fighting to repair. I was proud to lead with my House Health Care committee in the creation of the first major pandemic response legislation that addressed these gaps, including making sure that people who lost their jobs would still have access to health care. But we have much more to do until health care is accessible to all without being a condition related to employment.

* Vermont must have a healthcare system that is financed publicly with strong transparent government regulation that allows for ample public engagement. Every Vermonter should feel that they have a voice when it comes to their health. Big insurance companies are an unnecessary expense and profit by denying access to necessary care. Healthcare providers in partnership with their patients should determine what care is needed.

* Americans are being taken advantage of by drug companies and we cannot afford to be overpaying for prescriptions that other countries are getting for half the price. We must stand together to demand strong laws protecting the public from the impact of healthcare and pharmaceutical corporate greed. We've seen the effects of this on a local level as we continue to lose local pharmacies to large, national chains.

*We have all known someone impacted by addiction and too many of us have lost loved ones to overdoses. Vermonters struggling with addiction are suffering from a disease. We need to expand access to healthcare services instead of expending resources on mandatory minimums for nonviolent crimes.

* When we support quality mental health services, we help create healthy and productive communities and support individual independence. I am proud to have championed increased funding to our peer and community mental health services.

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