Issues

Health Care

As a doctor, I’ve seen firsthand the struggles Alaskans and small businesses face with high costs of health care. In Alaska, we pay more for health care than people do in any other state in the country. In Congress, I will work with anyone to make health care more affordable and protect patient access to care. This means making sure that insurance companies can never again deny coverage because of a pre-existing condition or COVID diagnosis. 

As your congressman, I will work to provide Alaskans with affordable health care by providing an option to buy into a public health system like Medicare or Medicaid at cost and will put it on the health care exchange. This will allow individuals and small businesses the opportunity to buy affordable and basic comprehensive health insurance and will create competition in the private marketplace which is good and is long overdue. This lower cost insurance will help the Alaskan economy by allowing Alaskan businesses to grow, will provide economic relief to Alaskans, and will invite new business opportunities into our state. But, for those who may want more benefits than a public option may offer, they should be able to continue to have the option to buy private health insurance.

I strongly believe that many Americans want personal freedom and choices when it comes to their health care provider and their decisions, and I completely agree and support that right. Some Americans will always demand choices and control over their health care, and they should be able to have that. But if someone wants to buy into the public system, at cost, at no one else’s expense, then I think that should be their right too.

I will also work to:

  • Strengthen primary and preventative care; 
  • Increase federal payments for rural health providers;
  • Support telemedicine;
  • Increase health care access and oppose any Supreme Court decision that weakens or threatens the Affordable Care Act; and
  • Work to simplify the electronic health record to improve care and minimize provider burnout.