I support affordable and accessible health care for all Delaware residents from cradle to grave. I believe single-payer health care is the best way to finance universal health care in Delaware. Single-payer health care uses savings from elimination of multi-payer brokers and recoups money wasted on lobbying, profit-gouging, paperwork, and fraud. Despite what insurance companies say, a responsible single-payer system is affordable, achievable, and reduces the overall costs of health care provision.
President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has fallen dramatically short of its goal of affordable health insurance for all. With no “public option” offered and the concessions made to big pharmaceutical companies and health insurers, the ACA is rapidly morphing into a monopoly of providers with a captive audience of ratepayers who are destined for bankruptcy. Single-payer health care or a Medicare buy-in program needs to be the next step to utilize the ideas of the ACA and its intention to provide affordable health care for all Americans.
I have worked with national and local organizations to formulate a responsible plan for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all Delawareans. I have introduced and sponsored single-payer health care legislation for the past decade, and I will continue to work to make that a reality in Delaware.
We must also pay attention to the specific issues affecting women’s health, mental health, and the health of our children. I am a strong supporter of women’s access to health care and Planned Parenthood, and I support expanding health centers. I have sponsored and co-sponsored legislation to treat mental illness and drug addiction as diseases that can and should be treated rather than punished. I also introduced a bill (HB 479) to protect children from exposure to toxic, carcinogenic substances, as well as protect the firefighters who are extinguishing fires that involve products that contain these chemicals.
In 2018, I was proud to sponsor and support the passage into law of two important pieces of legislation that will protect the health and safety of the citizens of Delaware:
- I sponsored HB 331, which was passed unanimously in both houses and signed into law, on behalf of the Yeatman family who experienced the untimely passing of their son, Micheal. This bill creates regulations concerning the use, distribution, and education of benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics. It requires practitioners to obtain consent from a minor’s parent or guardian prior to prescribing these drugs, and requires pharmacists to include a cautionary statement explaining the risks associated with the use of these drugs.
- I sponsored HB 456, which prohibits the use of lead paints on outdoor structures such as bridges, water towers, playground equipment, highways, parking lots, and utility towers and poles, in order to protect public health from the dangers of such paints. This bill will enable a cleaner and healthier environment in our State.
I was also proud of my successful fight to have the Delaware Prescription Assistance Program reinstated after it was cut from the budget last year. SB 228 restores this important program that provides money for individuals who are poor, elderly, or disabled to obtain their medications so that they did not have to choose between life-saving medication and eating.