Healthcare should be a human right.

​

Sadly, it's an unaffordable luxury for most, which is part of why we have 24,000 uninsured residents across the District, most of whom are Black and brown.  

​

​If we truly care about equity, dignity, and family, we must fully fund and implement the Birth-to-3 Act.  The successful funding and implementation of the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008 shows that our values – in Ward 3 and across the District – are rightly aligned with supporting Birth-to-3.  In addition to ensuring that our children and mothers have access to quality, affordable healthcare, we need to take several further steps.

​

Abortion Care is Healthcare

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights. If we are to actually stand up for women and not just say we’re going to, I am the only candidate in this race who has a plan to help.

​

• Make DC a sanctuary city for abortion care.  I will draft legislation to prevent DC from cooperating with investigations from other states that try to criminalize women and their choices.

• Establish a program that anyone who needs abortion care and can’t afford it - can get assistance to ensure they get the care they need. 

• Establish a right to privacy regarding healthcare in the District and provide transportation assistance for healthcare not offered in the District.  If, under a Republican Congress, reproductive rights come under fire in the District, this law will provide assistance to District women who seek abortions outside of the District.  To ensure that this will not be undone by a Republican Congress, we would need to couple various healthcare procedures together so that an attack on abortion care would appear to be an attack on other forms of healthcare, too.

​

LGBTQ+ Health

Parents search for answers when their child comes out as LGBTQ+. I am not sure why we can’t be that help for both the parents and children.  My plan is to partner with the Whitman-Walker Clinic so that anyone needing assistance that needs help - I can direct them to care from medical professionals.  It's imperative parents and children know my council office will be a safe space.

​

• Protect District residents in the LGBTQ+ community and establish a safe haven for transgender youth who seek gender-affirming treatments and procedures

• Ensure kids are able to use the bathroom that they feel most comfortable using.

• Ensure that our Seniors can age with pride. I would like to see the Mayor’s Office on LGBTQ+ Affairs have a full-time healthcare coordinator to address health access issues among our LGBTQ+ seniors.

​

Prior Authorization Reform

The District needs to complete a prior authorization audit to identify procedures that are approved at least 95% of the time.  Those procedures would then no longer be subject to prior authorization, lessening the burden on patients and providers.

​

Reducing Healthcare Costs

Cap hospital and prescription costs

We should follow other states that have cost caps on prescriptions and hospital costs.  Other states have a committee that looks at costs beyond what was agreed to and makes cuts accordingly, resulting in lower prices for DC residents.  I plan on establishing a Hospital and Prescription Costs Committee that will work to cap these burdensome costs for all DC Heath Link and Healthcare Alliance customers.

​

Reinsurance for lower insurance premiums

A reinsurance program could save DC Health Link participants $300 - $850 per year in health insurance premiums.  These successful programs already exist in 14 other states.  We should also explore the feasibility of reinsurance programs to lower the cost of health insurance for those who obtain insurance through DC Health Link.  

​

Tax credits for high out-of-pocket costs

We should subsidize the out-of-pocket costs for patients with high deductibles through tax credits for patients to ensure that obtaining healthcare doesn’t mean falling behind on rent or skipping meals.