View this post on the web at [link removed]
North Carolinians deserve quality, affordable health care. Many of them are working hard, sometimes at more than one job, and don’t have employers who will pay their health insurance. That’s why I worked with leaders across the state to expand Medicaid in 2023 to more than 700,000 North Carolinians, lowering health care costs for everyone. This expansion provided a lifeline for rural communities, and allowed us to access critical federal funding to help keep rural hospitals and emergency rooms open.
Earlier this year, I spoke to a woman named Emily about her struggles with being able to afford health care. She had broken her ankle on the way to work, and the surgery she needed would have cost tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket. Thankfully, our Medicaid Expansion provided the care that Emily needed, and saved her from going into massive debt.
Such a significant change to health care in North Carolina has helped hundreds of thousands of folks like Emily, who are no longer faced with the choice of going without care or spending big money they don’t have.
I also created the largest medical debt relief program in the country; a first of its kind solution to help relieve more than $6.5 billion in medical debt for more than 2.5 million North Carolinians, many of whom were in debt because insurance companies refused to pay legitimate medical bills. The weight of medical debt can be crushing, and no one should have to choose between going to the hospital or putting food on the table.
We fought so hard for so long to expand access to the affordable health care coverage that people deserve. Now, the Republican politicians in Washington are undermining those efforts, even though they swore up and down that they wouldn’t mess with our health care. They lied. And we’re the ones who’ll bear the burden.
Millions of Americans and North Carolinians will lose coverage under the GOP’s plan, sending health care costs skyrocketing.
Then Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley cheered on Washington Republicans as they refused to renew Affordable Care Act subsidies last year while he has championed the idea of “market-driven solutions” which would let insurance companies charge people even more for less care.
I’ll fight to bring real solutions to Washington to make health care cost less, just as I’ve done for millions of North Carolinians.
Here’s my plan.
First, we must reverse the cuts that have left people without health insurance or unable to afford the coverage they have. Doctors should be making health care decisions, not insurance bureaucrats.
Because of the bad decisions in Washington pushed by Michael Whatley, North Carolina saw the largest drop of any state in Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment. The Republican North Carolina Senator knew that this, along with the Medicaid cuts, would be particularly hard on our state and voted against it. Reinstating the ACA tax credits and reversing Medicaid cuts will help lower the costs for everyone’s premiums, including people who get their health insurance through an employer.
We must curb surprise billing, and designate emergency ground ambulance services as an essential health care benefit—98% of emergency transport is unprotected.
I’ll also fight to prevent medical debt by mandating hospitals auto enroll qualified patients in charity care, lowering drug and medical costs for those who need it. This goes hand in hand with capping annual prescription drug out-of-pocket costs for consumers.
A trip to the doctor should never break the bank. While Michael Whatley cheers on Washington as they make health care worse, I’ll be focused in the Senate on making life more affordable for North Carolinians.
Thank you for reading.
Unsubscribe [link removed]?
