Healthcare

Tony believes we must act to lower the cost of prescription drugs and that everyone deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare.

Everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care. In the last couple of years, I secured $6.5 million in funding for our public health departments and clinics across Nebraska, and fought to expand Medicaid in Nebraska. Now nearly 100,000 more Nebraskans have access to affordable healthcare and will be able to see a doctor when they need it, and we were able to keep more rural hospitals open. I expanded postpartum Medicaid coverage from 2 months to 12 months and passed a framework to address the opioid crisis in Nebraska.

But there’s more work to do on this issue. Health care and prescription drugs are still too expensive. We need to ensure that no matter where you live, you have access to quality, affordable care.

It's time to create a public option that will allow Nebraskans of any age to buy into a Medicare-like health care plan at an affordable rate. More competition will drive down the cost for everyone, while preserving the option of private insurance will let Nebraskans who like their current plan keep it.

We also need to continue the crack down on the prescription drug industry so pharmaceutical companies can no longer get away with jacking up prices on life saving medication and Nebraskans no longer have to choose between obtaining the medication they need or paying their bills. Medicare, like the VA or private insurance companies, should be able to negotiate the price they pay pharmaceutical companies for all drugs, not just 10 of them, and we need to extend the savings negotiated to all Nebraskans. It is also critical to bring generic drugs to market sooner to lower costs and increase competition.