My Plan to Improve Access to Healthcare While Reducing Costs

In 2000, I started a small social media company in Brockton with eight people. I covered 100 percent of my employees’ health insurance costs because it was the right thing to do.
 
Second only to payroll, healthcare was the largest expenses I had.
 
A decade ago, offering this benefit probably made us less competitive. Providing the same plan today would certainly put us out of business.
 
Simply put, healthcare costs are strangling businesses, governments, and households.
 
Ensuring affordable and accessible healthcare is not only the morally right thing to do; it’s the best way to build a healthy economy.
 
With this post, I want to focus on my plan to improve access to healthcare while reducing costs.
 
There are a number of reasons why healthcare costs are out of control; but they all come back to a system that’s highly fragmented and extremely inefficient.
 
Some people belong to private insurance plans through their workplace, others get public insurance through plans like Medicare and Medicaid, and millions lack health insurance altogether.
 
And within this convoluted system, people have very different coverage.
 
Some have plans that don’t cover important services such as prescription drugs. Others pay exorbitant co-pays and deductibles, while others do not. And many people have restricted networks that limit their provider choices.
 
As your State Representative, I will support legislation that establishes a single-payer healthcare system in Massachusetts.
 
With one uniform, low-cost system, single payer gives everyone access to primary care, which reduces how many people get sick in the first place. It provides everyone a regular source of care, which allows us to catch illnesses before they become serious and expensive. And, single payer significantly reduces insurance and provider overhead by eliminating administrative waste.
 
I understand that many people are uneasy about government-run healthcare. So I support the idea of a “public option” for healthcare coverage in Massachusetts.
 
With this approach, residents could choose the single-payer plan or keep their private insurance coverage—very similar to deciding on a public or private university.
 
Without question, single payer is more accessible, less expensive, and improves health outcomes.
 
My plan gives everyone the option to access the same quality healthcare at the same affordable price—whether you're self employed or a part-time employee, whether you've just graduated from college or you're thinking about retirement.
 
And as we celebrate Labor Day, let's not forget. It was the Labor Movement that fought for the 40-hour work week, paid sick leave and vacations, and healthcare insurance for workers.
 
I look forward to your feedback. You can read my entire platform for State Representative online.