Editor, The Beacon:
With most of our attention focused on economic issues as we approach the 2022 midterm elections, we would be well-served to also consider the health care consequences of our votes.
Many of those consequences are also economic, as health care policy decisions are made by our elected officials in Washington and
Tallahassee. Many of them relate directly to our health as individuals and as communities, without which our ability to fully enjoy our rights as Americans is compromised.
Consider the cost of prescription drugs as a start. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who has accepted at least $1 million from the pharmaceutical industry, has co-sponsored a bill, the so-called
“Protecting Drug Innovation Act,” which would roll back Medicare’s recently acquired authority to negotiate drug prices directly with drug
companies and kill the annual $2,000 cap on out-of pocket drug expenditures for seniors.
Is this a good thing for Florida’s multitude of senior citizens’ budgets? Hardly. For many, it would impact their ability to get desperately
needed drugs.
Marco Rubio is bad for your bank account, and he is bad for your health. Should Republicans gain control of the Senate, the recently enacted cap on the cost of insulin would also likely disappear. Bad for Florida, bad for your budgets.
On the other hand, U.S. Rep. Val Demings, Rubio’s opponent in the upcoming election, has demonstrated her consistent support of
containing health care costs for all Floridians by her support of the recently enacted “Inflation Reduction Act,” which includes the cost-saving components that Mr. Rubio’s co-sponsored bill would repeal. Her “yes” vote helped save Florida families potentially tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket health care expenses per year,
and ensured their ability to continue to have access to the drugs and services they require to maintain their health.
Mrs. Demings also strongly supports the right of women to make their own choices when it comes to reproductive health care. Mr. Rubio
does not.
In an August interview with CBS, Miami, Rubio stated that he opposes a woman’s right to abortion, and opposes all exceptions including rape, incest, and human trafficking.
Is it any surprise that Sen. Rubio opposed renewal of the Violence Against Women Act? No. Marco Rubio is bad for women’s health and
safety.
Val Demings provides Floridians with a bright-line alternative to the self-serving, health and family finances disaster that is Sen. Rubio.
And I hear that Demings actually likes to show up to work.
Please cast your vote by mail, during early voting, or in person on Tuesday, Nov. 8, for the candidate who places your best interests above her own — Rep. Val Demings.
Paul Garfinkel
DeLand
