JOHN,

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a major step forward for American health care, but it cannot be the final step. As anyone who has received a health care bill knows, healthcare in this country remains outrageously expensive and inaccessible to many. Millions of Americans remain uninsured or underinsured, and the ACA, which covers more than 26,000 Vermonters, is under threat in Washington.

While I support a path to Medicare for All, with Republicans poised to win the House in November, I fear that – instead of debating Medicare for All – I’ll be fighting a renewed effort to repeal the ACA.

That’s why I support protecting the ACA and practical, common-sense expansions to Medicare and Medicaid. In Congress, I’ll get to work immediately:

• Allowing the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices;
• Adding dental, hearing, and vision benefits to Medicare;
• Giving mental health care the investment it deserves, on par with physical health care;
• Incentivising Medicaid expansion in all 50 states, even those with governments that have been resistant; and
• Expanding access to (as well as insurance coverage of) telehealth.

Expanding health care coverage isn’t the only answer – we have to invest in the workforce needed to ensure health care is accessible in our rural communities and across Vermont. Our health care sector has been ground zero for our workforce crisis. Vermont Talent Pipeline forecasts that by the end of next year we’ll have more than 6,000 jobs to fill.

In Congress, I’ll also act to strengthen our workforce in the health care and human services sectors by:

• Federally funding up to two years of training at community colleges and tech schools that end in a certificate or degree, such as CNA and RN programs;
• Restarting a $2 billion grant program to support partnerships between our state colleges, community colleges and employers for on-the-job training; and
• Expanding student loan forgiveness for degrees in high-demand sectors, such as health care.

In a nation as wealthy as ours, a trip to the hospital shouldn’t end in a lifetime of medical debt. Through sensible, immediate actions, with an eye towards long-term structural reform, we can hold the line against Republican attacks and provide Vermonters with the affordable, high-quality health care they deserve.

Yours,

Molly