Our fight for affordable, accessible health care is more important than ever. No one should ever have to decide between life-saving care and paying their household bills, yet many North Carolinians still face this devastating choice every day.

For more than 10 years in the General Assembly, I fought to pass Medicaid expansion. I am grateful that after more than a decade, North Carolina finally became the 40th state to expand Medicaid, delivering life-saving health care to 600,000 North Carolinians. I fought for billions of dollars in federal funding in the American Rescue Plan that helped incentivize leaders to finally get expansion over the finish line.

In my first term, I was proud to help pass the Inflation Reduction Act, historic legislation that capped the cost of insulin at $35 per month for seniors and empowered Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. But we must do more to put affordable health care within reach for every North Carolinian. 

For example, access to affordable mental health care is a critical and growing problem in our community. To help address this acute need, I was proud to secure $6 million in federal funding for WakeMed’s new Mental Health and Well-Being Hospital.

Finally, I am honored to serve on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, where I am fighting for policies that will support public health and prepare us for future health emergencies.