My Values:
I know what it’s like to grow up without health insurance. I still remember the box of bills that sat on our kitchen table when my little sister faced a medical issue. Before I got to Congress, I worked for two health care manufacturing companies and ran the health plan for a major U.S. company, so I’ve seen firsthand for my whole life how difficult it is to navigate our health care system. Since I was elected, I’ve made a lot of enemies in the pharmaceutical companies with my work to lower costs for Americans, and they’ve fought back with smear campaigns every time, but I always say: if I lose my next election because I stood up to Big Pharma on behalf of my constituents, I will wear it as a badge of honor. I’ll keep fighting until every Minnesotan has access to quality, affordable health care.
What I’ve Done:
I wrote the bill – the Affordable Insulin Now Act – to cap insulin co-pays at $35 per month and got it passed through the House.
I voted to allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies, a policy that will save millions of dollars for everyday Americans.
I successfully led the effort to fix the “Family Glitch” in the Affordable Care Act, which extended coverage to tens of thousands of Minnesotans and millions of Americans who had been paying far too much for health care due to bureaucratic red tape.
I voted to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits through 2025, keeping the cost of health insurance more affordable for more than 5 million Americans.
I introduced a bill that would lower the cost of health insurance in the individual market. And I’ve co-sponsored a bill that would increase competition in the individual marketplace for Minnesota families by establishing a public option health plan to compete with large insurance companies.
I’ve introduced legislation which would increase competition for more affordable generic drugs and co-sponsored a bill which would create emergency insulin supplies and hold big drug companies accountable for jacking up prices.
I’ve worked on legislation that would increase access to mental health services by funding new mental health clinics and expanding telehealth services, especially for rural areas.
I am a co-sponsor on bills to fight the opioid epidemic and hold drug companies accountable.