Single-Payer Healthcare
The Bottom Line
Pennsylvania residents should be guaranteed healthcare. I strongly support Representative Pamela DeLissio's HB1688 'Pennsylvania Health Care Plan'. This healthcare would come with no premiums, co-pays, or deductibles. Pittsburghers would no longer have to worry about battles between UPMC and Highmark for accessing their doctor. Doctors would continue to operate privately but payment would be centralized as it is with Medicare. This would cut overall healthcare costs, improve health outcomes for residents, reduce income inequality, and be not for profit.
Why is this issue important to Jay?
Like millions of Americans, for many years I was afraid to go to the doctor because my plan had a high deductible. There were times that I should have gone to the doctor, including for preventative care, but I didn’t. If I ended up with a big bill, I knew that it would take years to pay off. Compounded with my existing student loans, it was a risk I couldn’t take. Recently, with my new job at the Clean Air Council, I have a better plan and try to make use of it, but costs are still high relative to the care that we receive.
Why is this issue important in District 23?
The pandemic has revealed clearly the danger of relying on employers to provide health insurance. Back in April, roughly 1 in 5 of us lost our jobs with inequitable impacts based on race and class. Under the status quo, when we lose our jobs we lose our health insurance. This adds an unnecessary layer of stress on the already harrowing experience of being laid off. A majority of Pennsylvanians approve of single-payer health insurance. Not only can healthcare for all ensure that everyone has access to insurance, studies have shown that it would be cost effective, with estimates of health care spending in Pennsylvania 11 percent lower with savings of over 17 billion (roughly 1,000 per resident).
What is the incumbent doing?
Although Dan Frankel is the Democrat chair of the House Health Committee and a original sponsor of HB1688, we haven’t seen the bill re-introduced for the 2019-20 session. The incumbent’s focus has been on UPMC and Highmark’s feud around accepting patients with Highmark insurance as in-network and drafting legislation requiring hospital-insurer hybrids fair access. However, this focus on slight adjustments to the status quo is not the reform that we need to ensure equitable access to health insurance. Dan Frankel has received more than 60,000 dollars in campaign finance from health insurance companies; he has a vested interest to maintain the status quo. We need a candidate who will fight for healthcare for all.
Jay’s plan
I support the Pennsylvania Health Care Plan. This is a state-wide single payer system funded by payroll taxes. This will save money – payroll taxes incurred will be smaller than deductibles and premiums - and ensure everyone in Pennsylvania has access to affordable health care.