ObamaCare has covered 20 million previously uninsured individuals. Now Republicans want to take that coverage away. ObamaCare has strengthened the healthcare industry and provided new opportunities to millions. However, should the worst happen, and the Republican Congress or federal courts eliminate ObamaCare we will pass legislation to:

→ Continue to require coverage of pre-existing conditions
→ Cover essential health benefits
→ Cover the children up to the age of 26 on their parent’s health insurance
→ Protect Medicaid expansion
→ Prevent insurance companies from imposing annual or lifetime limits on coverage.

It is not the job of government to stand between a woman and her doctor, but we consistently see attempts from anti-choice legislators to restrict access to abortion. We will continue to fight all of these attempts.

If health care is a right, it must be provided to all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, age, or sexuality. For too long, health care has not been equitably available to women and minorities. Insurance and hospital access has been denied, too expensive, or not covered necessary services in the past. We will fight to ensure everyone has equal access in the future.

The opioid crisis has been declared a national and state emergency. We will fight to:

→ Establish more entry points and beds for treatment;
→ Strengthen prescription writing guidelines;
→ Make naloxone even more readily available to treat overdoses;
→ Allow families to petition for mandatory treatment of their addicted loved ones;
→ Work with pharmaceutical companies to identify solutions and prevention methods for addiction;
→ Impose an assessment on the wholesale import of opioids into Pennsylvania; and
→ Increase educational addiction programming in schools.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program covers 180,000 kids in Pennsylvania and 9 million nationally. The Republicans have turned it into a political football by using it a vehicle for discrimination and political leverage in Washington D.C. We must continue to fund the program and ensure its existence on the state level.

Moving to a block grant has provided counties with much needed flexibility to address specific concerns such as mental health, drug and alcohol treatment, child welfare services, homelessness, and intellectual disabilities. However, we need more resources to truly address the scope of the problem. Huge cuts were made to these programs under the Corbett Administration that we are still trying to dig out from. The Senate Democrats want more money to go to our counties to help address these pressing issues.

One that We Can Address Through Violence Prevention Policy.

→ Ban Assault Weapons – We must prohibit ownership of assault weapons such as the AR-15 including its high capacity ammunition feeding devices and other accessories, as they have become the tool of choice in mass murders.

→ Extreme Risk Protection Orders – This would allow courts to order an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) if a person is demonstrating dangerous behavior, providing much needed protection to the public. Such an order would temporarily suspend an individual’s access to firearms if there is documented evidence that a person is
threatening to harm themselves or others.

Recognizing the particular vulnerability that exists in our schools, every school should provide school psychologists, school counselors, and school social workers to meet the mental health needs of their students.

Currently certain gun show purchases and person-to-person sales do not require a basic background check. Every firearm sale in Pennsylvania needs to undergo a background check.