Healthcare

Alaska has the nation’s highest cost of healthcare. The majority of Alaskans are facing double digit increases in their health insurance premiums. Health insurance has simply become unaffordable for most working families in Alaska. This is a crisis in our state and more insurance is not the solution for this healthcare crisis.

Our nation is 80 trillion dollars in debt, with our broken healthcare system being a major driver of the rising national debt. Many nations like Canada and Australia that have adopted a universal healthcare system have a lower ratio of national debt to GDP than the U.S. As a nation we are paying way too much for a healthcare system that does not work. Once implemented, a universal healthcare system will lower the cost of healthcare in our nation while increasing the quality of healthcare provided to all citizens.

Melissa and I have six children. When my children need to go see a doctor because they are sick, they broke an arm or they need surgery, it is good not to have to worry about health insurance, or if they are covered or what the deductible is. That is because they are covered by universal healthcare. This universal healthcare system provides the best care in the world to over 100,000 Alaska Native People here in the state. So when my children are sick we just take them to the Alaska Native Medical Center on Tudor and Diplomacy, and all of their medical needs are taken care of at no out of pocket costs to us.

I believe a universal healthcare model of medicine is the only logical healthcare model that can provide both the best patient outcome, and lower the cost of medicine. Universal healthcare system works all over the world; Europe, Australia, Canada and here in Alaska. Alaskans innovate and we can design a universal healthcare model that works for all citizens of this country. The Alaskan Nuka System of Care is a good place to start in designing a healthcare system that works for all Americans.

The first step to extending universal healthcare to all Alaskans is to elect representatives to congress who support universal healthcare. In congress, I will fight to bring universal healthcare to all Alaskans.