Healthcare: It’s a Right, Not a Luxury

I know what it’s like to struggle with the healthcare system. I’ve lived it. My own family has had to drive hours just to get injections for a spinal injury. We’ve had to fight for basic care, appeal unfair denials, and survive long bureaucratic delays that nearly cost us our home. This system is broken—not just for me, but for millions of Americans.

No one should ever have to choose between their health and their home. No parent should have to drive over an hour to deliver their baby because their local hospital shut down due to budget cuts. No senior, no child, no working parent should skip medication or treatment because they simply can’t afford it.

Healthcare in America has become a profit machine—when it should be a promise.

Here’s what I believe—and what I’ll fight for in Congress:

• Medicare for All. I’m a long-time supporter of universal healthcare and will proudly cosponsor Medicare for All. This isn’t just a policy—this is personal. Expanding coverage to every American will cut costs, eliminate medical debt, and ensure no one is left behind.

• Protect and Strengthen Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. These programs are lifelines, especially for working families, seniors, and disabled Americans. I will oppose any effort to gut them, privatize them, or raise the retirement age.

• Lower Prescription Drug Costs. No one should ration insulin or skip cancer treatment because the pharmaceutical industry is allowed to exploit us. We need strong price negotiation, patent reform, and an end to Big Pharma’s grip on our wallets.

• Support Small Businesses with Health Care. Entrepreneurs should be able to grow their businesses without fearing that one illness could ruin their future. Expanding access to affordable plans and making Medicare for All available to small business employees will help fuel innovation and growth.

• Expand Primary Care and Mental Health Access. Every community—urban, suburban, rural—deserves access to quality providers. That includes doctors, mental health professionals, and OB/GYNs. We must also invest in mental health care and treat it with the same urgency as physical health.

• Close the Coverage Gap. Too many people in Illinois and across the country fall into the “coverage gap”—earning too much for Medicaid but too little for subsidies. I will fight to close that gap and ensure health care truly reaches everyone.

• Address Health Inequities. Black, Latino, Indigenous, and rural communities suffer higher rates of chronic illness, maternal mortality, and lack of access to care. We must end these disparities with targeted investment, inclusive policy, and community-informed care.

We are the wealthiest nation in the world, yet we let people die waiting for care. That’s unacceptable—and fixable.

Healthcare should never depend on your job, your ZIP code, or your income. It should depend on one thing only: the fact that you are human.

As your next Representative, I’ll never stop fighting to make sure our system treats health care like what it is—a human right, not a privilege for the lucky few.