Letter: We need leaders who will fight for health care

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on what I have known for a long time: that quality, affordable health care under the system presently in place in the U.S. is basically unattainable. I've worked as an RN at a free clinic, and I regularly saw people coming in because they had either no insurance coverage or an insurance plan that didn't cover necessary medical treatments. People of all age groups would describe rationing prescriptions, postponing surgical procedures, or skipping regular dental checkups because they couldn't afford them. With so many Americans living paycheck to paycheck and costs going up everywhere, we can't settle for this status quo. We need to disrupt this system.

Before the pandemic, many of my neighbors were already paying out of pocket for basic services like dental appointments and prescription drugs, and I worry about the crippling hospital costs that I and others may face if we are diagnosed with any serious illness or have to go into long-term care. Too many lawmakers of both parties are beholden to Big Pharma and huge corporations, blocking all paths to a better system.

For these reasons and more, I support universal health care. To start, we can expand Medicare to include vision, dental, hearing and long-term care, and lower the eligibility age to 60.

We now have a clear choice to support local candidates who believe that believe health care is a right, not merely a privilege for those with the means. I will be voting for Marie Newman in the 6th District Democratic primary on June 28, because I know she will fight for accessible and affordable health care. Marie Newman is a strong supporter of universal health care and doesn't take a dime of corporate PAC money - because she is accountable only to us, her neighbors.

Dan Bailey

Wheaton