Issue Position: Healthcare

Issue Position

MY #1 PRIORITY: MEDICARE FOR ALL

My number one priority is fighting for everyone to have access to quality, affordable healthcare. Everyone I know, myself included, has been impacted by our overly complex and expensive healthcare system, and it affects each of us and our loved ones on a deeply personal level.

I believe Massachusetts must institute Medicare For All to ensure that everyone can get and stay healthy. Under the current system, Massachusetts struggles to come up with the money to keep our population healthy. A whopping 42% of our yearly budget is spent on healthcare--leaving less money for education and aid to municipalities.

I support the bill put forth by Representative Benson in the House to conduct a study based on three years of data to project costs under a Medicare for All system so we can compare them with the current system. I believe this study will demonstrate that Medicare For All is necessary for both the physical health of our people and the financial health of the Commonwealth. Importantly, we can use data we already have for the past three years, not the next three years, so we don't have to delay single-payer any longer.

I WILL ADVOCATE FOR HEALTHCARE FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Many children with special needs rely on schools for basic care--but the State has failed to adequately support their healthcare needs. Through the Massachusetts Circuit Breaker Program, the State promises to refund municipalities for special education costs, but if the cost of a student with special needs to the district is $50,000, the State only pays $10,944, and that number is subject to change based on State revenue. This leaves municipalities on the hook for major care costs. I will advocate for stable and fully funded special education so students with special needs can get the care they deserve in school without devastating local budgets.

THE OPIOID CRISIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, NOT A CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUE

The opioid epidemic is a public health problem, not a criminal justice issue. For too long, the big companies that profit from sales of pain medication have influenced our political and healthcare systems. I support needle exchanges, increasing the number of clinics staffed by trained medical professionals, and the availability of beds, particularly for women, to help the members of our community who are struggling with drug dependency. We need to bring those suffering from substance abuse disorders into our discussions about how to deal with the problem. My priority is harm-reduction. Current practices, such as holding those suffering from substance abuse disorders for 72 hours, are dangerous because they can lead to binging upon release and consequent overdosing.

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