Every American deserves accessible healthcare
Many areas of our country face growing challenges to accessing affordable, high-quality healthcare. California's 4th Congressional District is no exception.
Since launching my campaign for Congress this summer, I have traveled across the district, from Truckee to Mariposa. I've heard from people again and again about how difficult it is to access both emergency and preventative care.
This past July, I had the opportunity to sit down with Mariposa residents at the annual Butterfly Festival to take their pulse and check their blood pressure. What I heard from people that day was shocking, but unsurprising. I met a gentleman whose health insurance premium increased three times last year, and a woman who has to drive an hour to see the nearest doctor. Everyone who visited my table that day had a story to share about their difficulty accessing essential care in Mariposa County, one of the 10 rural counties that make up California's 4th.
In California, there is about one primary care physician (PCP) per 1,200 people. Every county in our district, however, falls well below that average. In Mariposa County, for example, there is one PCP for every 2,902 people. In Alpine County, home to California's Washoe Tribe, there are none.
These statistics are alarming, and for good reason.
Rural communities across the 4th District are home to much of our older population, who sometimes have complex medical needs, but who have also worked and paid into our healthcare system their whole lives. They deserve a medical system that works for them, including easy and regular access to medical professionals. But the sad reality is that many residents may not get the care they need because of long wait times or transportation issues. As a result, some people may delay routine checkups, only to see a doctor when the situation is life-threatening. What my grandmother used to tell me about clothes also applies to our health: a stitch in time saves nine.
Healthcare is broken, especially in California's 4th District. Together, we can fix it.
In the United States, we have a nearly $4 trillion healthcare system that too many hardworking people cannot access. We have life-saving medicines that cost more than some people's salaries and hospitals that are farther away than people should have to drive to reach. Members of Congress have access to the best care that money can buy, but our leadership refuses to make healthcare more accessible and affordable to all Americans. In the richest country in the world, in the most populous state in the country, enough is enough. It's time we take our health back.
There are many ways we can work together to increase healthcare access throughout California's 4th District. We can use loan forgiveness programs and debt relief to incentivize new doctors to open their practices here. Doing so would help funnel our state's great medical talent into the areas where it is most needed. We can then ensure these doctors have access to the resources and funding they need to run a successful rural clinic. In addition to bringing more doctors to the district, we can make it easier to connect with them by expanding broadband internet access so people can chat with their doctors from the comfort of their homes.
Whether they are a Republican, Democrat, or independent, every American deserves a healthcare system that works for them. A system where you don't have to drive more than 30 minutes to get treatment. A system where you have guaranteed access to broadband so you can video call your doctor. A system with increased hospital capacity and affordable, portable health insurance that is not based on your job or zip code.
After seeing over 20,000 patients, I know that most people do not get the care they pay for, have earned, or need. It is our duty as Americans to change that. Without health, we cannot do what we love or live the life we're supposed to. Our health is our freedom. It's time we take it back.