I want to take a second and walk you through my healthcare plan.

No issue is more important to our Commonwealth than ensuring every single Virginian has affordable and equitable access to quality healthcare -- especially now.

Even though Virginia is one of the wealthiest states in the richest country in the world, our healthcare system is still broken. We’ve all felt it -- and COVID has made it that much worse.

The fact that even some Virginians don’t have healthcare -- in the middle of a pandemic! -- is unacceptable. But the problem is much worse. 10% of adult Virginians under age 65 (more than 700,000 of us!) lack health insurance. And 52,000 children do not have access to coverage.

Black and Brown communities face higher mortality rates than white people, and the healthcare system is riddled with geographic and disparities. This pandemic, again, has exposed inequalities beneath the surface.

We need real solutions.

Virginia has done some good here. I’m proud to have worked with @GovernorVA to expand Medicaid to over 500,000 Virginians after others couldn’t get it done. But our work doesn’t stop there. I promise to fight for healthcare to be more accessible, affordable, and inclusive.

So back to my plan. I will create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board so we can lower the cost of prescription medications. Families shouldn’t have to choose between paying for food or paying for life saving medication. I had to make that choice. No one else should.

I will also create a Virginia Reinsurance program to lower premiums for families. It is unconscionable that expensive premiums prevent people from accessing care in a pandemic, and beyond.

We will ensure transparency in medical pricing and billing. This is so important. How many times have you been to the doctor or to the pharmacy and ended up paying more than you can afford for unclear reasons?

And I will fight to ensure that more Virginians are eligible for Medicaid. We will codify the end of the 40-quarter rule which shamefully requires lawful permanent residents to work for a decade before receiving coverage.

My administration will also invest in mobile health clinics to serve rural communities and ensure that telemedicine and broadband coverage is an option for Virginians. We’ll also use these mobile clinics to facilitate vaccine distribution.

And I will increase funding for the Virginia Maternal Mortality Review Team and allocate funding for doula care through Medicaid. I know the importance of this after my own complicated pregnancy. Black women too often are not believed, and we need quality care and advocates.

It’s also really important to increase diversity in VA's medical schools, which is why I’ll ensure students of color have an equal shot at such a career path. We’ll be able to increase culturally competent care to make sure our healthcare system serves everyone in Virginia well.

I’ll end this thread by saying this: it’s important that we have someone drafting policy who understands that these issues really are a matter of life or death. COVID-19 is only heightening our urgency.

We need solutions -- now.

Read more: https://jennifercarrollfoy.com/issues/health-care/