As a survivor of COVID-19, Dr. Gena Ross has spoken a lot about healthcare in Missouri. You can read more about Ross’s battle with the virus in our previous post, “Pandemic Politics”. In our opinion, access to quality and affordable healthcare is one of the most pressing issues of this election. As a team, we believe that Ross’s plan to take on healthcare is what MO-6 needs. Her platform regarding healthcare for MO-6 has three main pillars. She wants to ensure quality healthcare to all residents of this district, to protect individuals with pre-existing conditions, and to expand insurance coverage in Missouri. Access to quality healthcare in rural areas is not a new problem. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 64 hospitals are located in rural counties. Of those 64 hospitals, 31 are Critical Access Hospitals, which have 25 beds or less and provide a limited scope of service. Missouri’s 6th District has 16 rural hospitals, 12 of which are Critical Access Hospitals. 15 of the 35 counties that make up MO-6 do not even have a hospital. Rural citizens in emergency situations have to travel far especially if they need access to trauma care. Every community should have access to healthcare. According to KBIA, six rural hospitals in Missouri have closed over the last five years. While these hospitals were not in MO-6, the divide to quality healthcare in rural areas is very evident. This is a problem that affects communities like ours, and Ross wants to solve this issue. She sees the disregard given to rural communities about healthcare and agrees that it is unacceptable. Ross has vowed to bring affordable and convenient health care to the 6th district upon election. Another one of Ross’s platforms is to expand affordable coverage to all citizens regardless of race, age, or income. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 9% of Missourians are uninsured. That means approximately 552,000 people that do not have access to healthcare. Ross has stated her belief that healthcare is a fundamental human right. She wants to fight for every individual, including those with pre-existing conditions. “Those that have private insurance, they can keep their private insurance, but I just want to make sure that everybody would be covered." - Dr. Gena Ross to News-Press Now According to Ross’s twitter post, nearly one-third of Missourians are diagnosed with pre-existing conditions. These individuals need to be protected from harmful legislation that excludes them, and Ross vows to protect these individuals while working in Washington.
It is evident that there are some major issues concerning healthcare in our district. Affordable and comprehensive healthcare shouldn’t be a question, but obviously, it is a clear problem in MO-6. That needs to change. Healthcare affects every one of us, and we should not be forgotten or pushed aside simply because of the county that we live in. We urge you to get out and vote for Ross because we need to see change. If you want to see change, you have to vote! The last day to register to vote in Missouri is October 7th. You can register at this link in less than two minutes, and make sure to tweet us @Ross4Congress when you've done it!!
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