Access to healthcare in this state ought to be a right, not a privilege. I'll fight to expand healthcare access, make healthcare more affordable and more accountable, and do everything I can in Springfield to shorten the distance and bring down the costs between patients and care. Illinois and leaders like Senator Fine have made great strides in bringing accountability and oversight to insurance companies, and we need to keep building on that progress.

Healthcare Cost Relief

• Support medical debt relief programs: Help residents overwhelmed by medical bills through debt relief programs and bankruptcy protections.

• Expand preventive care coverage: Prevention is cheaper than treatment. Ensure preventive services are fully covered without cost-sharing.

• Address surprise billing: Protect patients from unexpected bills when they receive care from out-of-network providers in emergencies.

Medicaid & Insurance Coverage

• Protect and expand Medicaid coverage: Illinois expanded Medicaid in 2014 to cover adults up to 138% of the federal poverty level. We should defend this expansion and ensure it reaches everyone who qualifies. The federal government is proposing work requirements for Medicaid expansion-eligible adults in 2027. We must fight this and protect coverage for those who need it most. Further, the state can help folks navigating this new federal system to fight for every dollar owed to Illinoisans.

• Ensure healthcare is accessible regardless of immigration status: Healthcare decisions should never depend on where you were born. Support coverage for immigrants and mixed-status families.

• Expand coverage for rural and underserved communities: Ensure healthcare providers locate in areas where people actually live and work, not just where profits are largest.

Mental & Behavioral Health

• Prioritize mental health and substance use services: Illinois has increased Medicaid psychiatry reimbursement rates and banned prior authorization for inpatient mental health treatment. We should continue removing barriers to mental healthcare. Support expansion of community-based behavioral health services, mobile crisis response, and treatment programs that keep people connected to their communities.

• Support first responders and families: Expand mental health coverage for police, firefighters, their families, and other public sector workers who face trauma.

• Streamline licensing for mental health providers: Remove unnecessary bureaucratic barriers that prevent qualified mental health professionals from serving patients.

Prescription Drug Affordability

• Hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable: Illinois has championed pharmacy benefit manager reforms to prevent predatory practices like spread pricing and steering patients to owned pharmacies. We should continue strengthening oversight and transparency requirements. Support the Prescription Drug Affordability Act's provisions requiring disclosure of drug costs and banning price-gouging tactics.

• Increase transparency in drug pricing: Patients deserve to know what they're paying for medications. Support policies that require clear pricing information and remove gag clauses that prevent pharmacists from recommending lower-cost alternatives.

• Protect community pharmacies: Independent pharmacies are healthcare anchors in neighborhoods across the state. Support funding and policies that keep them open and able to serve their communities.

• Limit out-of-pocket prescription costs: Require insurance companies to offer plans with capped monthly prescription costs so people aren't forced to choose between medication and other necessities.

• Establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board: Create an independent board to review and set upper payment limits on prescription drugs so Illinois residents can afford life-saving medications.

Healthcare Provider Access

• Increase provider reimbursement rates: Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers need fair compensation to stay in the profession and locate where people need them. Support Medicaid and public insurance reimbursement rates that reflect actual provider costs.

• Address rural healthcare shortages: Expand loan forgiveness, tax incentives, and direct funding for healthcare providers in underserved rural and urban areas.

• Remove barriers to telehealth: Expand access to remote healthcare options for people in rural areas and those with mobility challenges.

Insurance Accountability & Transparency

• Strengthen prior authorization restrictions: Insurance companies use prior authorization to delay or deny necessary care. Illinois has banned it for mental health and some psychiatric medications. Expand this to cover other medically necessary services.

• Crack down on predatory insurance practices: Ban copay accumulator programs and other schemes that shift costs onto patients. Require insurance companies to apply manufacturer discounts and co-pay assistance to patients' deductibles and out-of-pocket limits.

• Fight for insurance transparency: Require clear disclosure of what insurance plans cover, what they cost, and how insurance companies spend premium dollars. Prohibit items like executive compensation or lifestyle apps from counting toward medical spending requirements.

• Continue to advocate for fair payment rates for behavioral health providers: Require private insurance companies to reimburse mental health and substance use providers at rates comparable to medical providers, ending disparities that create access barriers.