Did you know that in Alabama seventeen hospitals were closed over the last ten years? Seventeen hospitals that would have been really useful when every other hospital in the state was at capacity and unable to bed any more patients. But the ruling majority in this state continued turning down federal funding to expand Medicaid and keep those hospitals open. That foolish decision has left thousands of Alabamians in a precarious situation. If they need immediate medical attention for a heart attack or stroke, they will find themselves hours from the nearest medical facility with the necessary capabilities to treat them.

We can fix this. All we have to do is say yes to federal funding and we will expand Medicaid to get over three hundred thousand people in Alabama insured. If we say yes, we could open some of those hospitals again. If we say yes, we could pay our nurses more and retain them. And even though this has been a staple issue of the Democratic Party in Alabama for years, this is no longer a left or right issue. Former Governor Riley and members of the Republican Party are seeing the error of their ways but we need more reasonable voices from both sides of the aisle to push this issue in front of the governor and get them to say yes to helping Alabamians across the state. I want to be one of those voices for the people of District 95.

How many people in Alabama suffer needlessly because they are leaving easily treated conditions untreated, because they lack access to healthcare, or because they’re worried about going into debt if they visit a doctor?

We have to make sure that healthcare isn’t just accessible geographically speaking, but also economically. One sure way to accomplish this is to cap the prices on certain life-saving medications like insulin. Diabetics spend thousands of dollars a year on a drug that costs just a few dollars to make. It would be so easy to pass a bill to help these people. In fact it’s so easy that 19 other states have already done it.