Issue Position: Healthcare

Issue Position

Marie is currently a caregiver within the healthcare system. Prior to that she worked with youth who were balancing substance abuse and mental health concerns. Through these experiences she has witnessed the shortcomings of both public and private insurance companies. Marie has also seen how the efforts of healthcare agencies in the state have been able to yield terrific outcomes through cooperation with insurance agencies. Still in 2017, it was estimated that over 70,000 adults throughout the state of Delaware had no form of health insurance.

Delaware faces many challenges when discussing healthcare. In this state, deaths due to drug overdoses, or poisonings, have continued to rise. Further, when we exam long-term and specialty care it is evident that there is a worsening shortage of long-term and specialty care workers and services that are able to meet the needs of our older adults and residents suffering from specific health concerns including Spinal Cord Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and more. Since 2003, the overall occupancy rates for private nursing homes in all three Delaware counties has hovered near 90 percent. Families are struggling to find and afford services.

As your state senator Marie will:

Create a Medicaid Buy-In option
Revitalize and increase available inpatient and outpatient options for substance abuse treatment and
Increase access to life saving drugs such as Narcan
Expand treatment options for special needs services

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