Issue Position: Healthcare

Issue Position

According to a recent survey, 81% of Illinois residents say that they are "worried" or "very worried" about being able to afford healthcare. This is an alarming finding and it has been more greatly highlighted by the COVID19 pandemic. Illinois lawmakers must take action to provide families with options to reduce their costs, promote healthcare cost transparency, and reform the Medicaid program which now accounts for approximately a quarter of the state budget.

Healthcare in Illinois must be about giving consumers choices, reducing costs, and increasing transparency. I support some of the recent efforts to reign in prescription drug prices, particularly the price of insulin, EpiPens, and other life-sustaining prescriptions. In principle, I support increasing the role of preventative medicine to improve health outcomes and reduce both private and public costs, as well as implementing a statewide health savings account program to give families a path to pay for emergency care. I am eager to partner with the Hospital Association, the Medical Society, and patient's rights advocates to draft legislation that can increase transparency of costs on a patient's medical bill and allow for market forces to reduce prices in hospital settings.

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