Hi team – I want to talk to you about the number one issue I hear about in living rooms and town halls across the country: health care.
This is especially true in rural communities, which face greater challenges as it is, with clinics closing, the number of providers decreasing, and higher rates of chronic disease.
Sadly, these problems have only been exacerbated by the Trump Administration’s vicious attacks on our health care system.
That is why, today, I'm in Iowa to share my new plan for high-quality, affordable health care for rural Americans. Add your name here if you agree we need to achieve universal coverage, lower costs, and improve outcomes.
My plan focuses on both improving access to achieve universal health care and bringing down costs in some of the most underserved communities nationwide. It will: |
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Establish Medicare-X, a true public option that starts in rural areas where the market is failing too many people with only one or no insurers.
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Automatically enroll those who qualify for Medicaid and CHIP.
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Require the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for the first time in history.
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Fix the provider shortage by offering loan forgiveness and repayment support for doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals who provide care in rural areas.
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Leverage technology, including telemedicine, and make a $40 billion capital investment to connect the entire country to high-speed, reliable, affordable broadband.
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Address the high mortality rates we see in women and infants in rural areas by expanding prenatal care.
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Invest $60 billion to combat substance use disorders and hold opioid manufacturers and distributors accountable for the problem they created.
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Support seniors and caregivers to ensure Americans can age with freedom and dignity.
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Close the loophole that allows providers to charge exorbitant prices by ending out-of-network surprise medical bills, an issue I’ve led on in the Senate.
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Increase NIH funding to support research into cures and treatments for chronic illnesses. This is especially impactful in rural areas, where there is a higher rate of chronic disease, and preventative care is key to lowering overall costs.
What this plan does not do is take health insurance away from 200 million people, like Medicare for All does. We should be expanding coverage, not ripping it away from people. Add your name here if you agree.
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Thanks for taking the time,
Michael |
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