Priscilla Gonzalez Healthcare Agenda
A Human Right, Not a Privilege
The American healthcare system is the most expensive in the world, yet it delivers some of the worst outcomes among wealthy nations. We spend nearly twice as much per person as other developed countries, yet we have lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, and worse rates of chronic disease. Louisiana consistently ranks near the bottom in almost every measure of health—maternal mortality, infant mortality, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer outcomes. In Louisiana’s 3rd District, these failures are not abstract statistics. They are our neighbors, our family members, our friends.
The problem is not that we lack doctors or hospitals or medical technology. The problem is that our healthcare system is designed to generate profits for insurance companies, hospital conglomerates, and pharmaceutical corporations which do not heal people. Insurance companies deny claims, raise premiums, and drop coverage when patients get sick. Pharmaceutical companies charge Americans three to ten times more for the same drugs they sell abroad. Rural hospitals close because they cannot generate enough profit, leaving entire communities without emergency care. Families across our district go bankrupt because they cannot afford the care they need.
This is a moral failure. It is also an economic failure. When working families spend thousands of dollars a year on premiums, deductibles, and copays, they have less money to spend on groceries, rent, and their children’s education. When small businesses cannot afford to provide health insurance, they cannot attract good workers or compete with large corporations. When people delay care because they cannot afford it, they end up sicker and more expensive to treat in the long run.
I am running for Congress to change this. I believe that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege reserved for those who can afford it. I believe that no one in Louisiana’s 3rd District should go bankrupt because they got sick. I believe that we can build a healthcare system that works for everyone. A healthcare system that is simpler, cheaper, and more effective than the broken system we have today.
I pledge to you: I shall never take a dime from BigPharma. I shall never meet with private healthcare or insurance lobbyists attempting to push your family into debt to protect their pockets. My opponent voted yes on tax breaks for big pharma for years. As early as 2017 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act he voted to lower the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.
Medicare for All: The Plan
Medicare for All is not just a slogan. It is a detailed, practical plan to guarantee healthcare to every American while saving money and improving outcomes. Here is how it would work.
Every American would be automatically enrolled in a single, public insurance program. From the day they are born to the day they die, every person in the United States would be covered. No one would be uninsured. No one would lose coverage because they lost their job, changed jobs, or could not afford premiums.
Comprehensive benefits would be covered. Medicare for All would cover all medically necessary care, including:
Primary care and preventive services
Hospital care and emergency services
Prescription drugs
Mental health and substance use treatment
Dental, vision and hearing care
Maternity and newborn care
Long-term care and home health services
Reproductive healthcare
Pediatric care and well-child visits
There would be no premiums, no deductibles, and no copays for essential care. You would never receive a bill for covered services. You would never have to worry about whether a procedure is covered or whether a hospital is in-network. You would simply show your card and receive care.
Private insurance would be phased out over a transition period. Private insurance would not disappear overnight. We would transition over four years, allowing workers in the insurance industry to transition to new jobs with retraining and wage support. Private insurers could still offer supplemental plans for services not covered by Medicare for All, but they would no longer be the primary source of coverage.
Doctors and hospitals would remain in the private sector. Medicare for All would not be socialized medicine. Hospitals would remain private, and doctors would remain independent. They would simply be reimbursed by the government instead of by insurance companies. This would reduce administrative waste and allow doctors to focus on patient care rather than paperwork.
The program would be administered by the federal government. A new federal agency, set up under HHS would administer the plan. It would negotiate prices with drug companies and hospitals, set reimbursement rates, and process claims. Administrative costs would be dramatically lower than the current private insurance system, which spends billions on advertising, billing, and executive salaries.
There would be a robust transition plan. The transition to Medicare for All would take four years. During that time, existing coverage would remain in place while the new system is built. Workers in the insurance industry would receive retraining, job placement assistance, and wage support. Small businesses would receive tax credits to offset any transition costs. The program would be phased in by age group, starting with children, young adults and the elderly.
How We Pay For It!
The most common question about Medicare for All is simple: how do you pay for it? The answer is equally simple: we are already paying for it. We just are not getting it.
The United States currently spends more than $4.5 trillion per year on healthcare which is more than any other country in the world. This includes federal spending, state spending, employer contributions, and out-of-pocket costs paid by families. Medicare for All would replace this fragmented, wasteful system with a single, efficient one. The total cost of healthcare would actually be lower than the current system, because we would eliminate administrative waste, insurance company profits, and inflated prices.
Independent studies, including those from the Congressional Budget Office and the Mercatus Center, estimate that Medicare for All would save the United States between $2 trillion and $5 trillion over ten years compared to the current system. These savings come from:
Administrative savings: The private insurance industry spends billions on billing, marketing, and executive salaries. Medicare for All would reduce administrative costs from roughly 15-20 percent of healthcare spending to about 2-3 percent, saving hundreds of billions per year.
Negotiated prices: The government would negotiate drug prices and hospital reimbursement rates, driving down costs. We already do this for veterans through the VA and for seniors through Medicare. We would simply extend it to everyone.
Elimination of cost-shifting: Currently, hospitals charge private insurers more to make up for low reimbursement from Medicaid and uncompensated care. Medicare for All would eliminate this cost-shifting, lowering costs for everyone.
Preventive care savings: When people have access to preventive care, they avoid expensive emergency treatments and chronic disease management later. This saves money and saves lives.
To fund the program, I support a combination of common-sense revenue sources:
A payroll tax on employers that replaces what they currently spend on private insurance premiums. Employers would pay less than they do now, and workers would receive better coverage.
An income tax increase on high earners, the top 1 percent, to ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share.
A wealth tax on extreme fortunes over $50 million, as described in my tax agenda.
A financial transaction tax on Wall Street speculation, raising tens of billions annually.
Savings from ending unnecessary wars and Pentagon waste, as described in my foreign policy agenda.
Savings from negotiating drug prices and eliminating insurance company profits.
Let me be clear: under Medicare for All, the vast majority of Americans would pay less than they do now. Families would no longer pay premiums, deductibles, or copays. Employers would no longer bear the burden of providing insurance. State governments would no longer struggle with Medicaid costs.
Rural Healthcare: The Rural Lifeline Fund
Louisiana’s 3rd District is home to some of the most medically underserved communities in the country. Rural hospitals have closed at alarming rates, leaving entire parishes without emergency care. Ambulance response times in rural areas can exceed 30 minutes, which can mean the difference between life and death for a heart attack or stroke victim.
I will fight to create the Rural Lifeline Fund, a dedicated federal program to keep rural emergency rooms, trauma centers, and ambulance services open and fully staffed. This fund would:
Provide direct federal subsidies to rural hospitals that would otherwise close.
Fund ambulance services and emergency medical technicians in underserved areas.
Support telehealth expansion so rural patients can consult with specialists without travelling hundreds of miles.
Invest in mobile clinics that bring primary care and preventive services to remote communities.
Create incentives for doctors, nurses and other providers to practice in rural areas, including loan forgiveness and housing assistance.
This is not just a healthcare issue. It is an economic issue. When a rural hospital closes, it is often the largest employer in the community. It also makes it harder to attract new businesses and families. Keeping rural healthcare open is essential to the economic vitality of our district.
Mental Health and Addiction: A Public Health Emergency
Mental health and addiction are among the most pressing—and most neglected—public health challenges in our district. The opioid epidemic has devastated families and communities. Suicide rates are rising, especially among veterans and young people. And too often, people who need help cannot get it because of stigma, cost, or lack of access.
I believe that mental health care is healthcare, and it must be treated as such. I will fight to:
Enforce mental health parity so that insurance companies cover mental health and addiction treatment at the same level as physical health.
Expand funding for community mental health centers, which provide accessible, affordable care close to home.
Invest in crisis intervention and mobile crisis teams, so that people in crisis receive help from trained professionals rather than law enforcement.
Expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, which is proven to save lives.
Support veterans’ mental health by fully funding the VA and expanding peer support programs.
Address the root causes of addiction, including poverty, trauma and lack of opportunity.
We cannot arrest our way out of a public health crisis. We must treat addiction as a disease, not a crime and invest in treatment, recovery and prevention.
Prescription Drug Prices: Immediate Relief for Families
Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anyone else in the world. The same insulin that costs $30 in Canada can cost $300 in Louisiana. The same cancer drug that costs $1,000 in Europe can cost $10,000 here. This is price gouging enabled by corporate lobbying and political corruption.
I will fight to:
Allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices for all drugs, not just a select few. This alone would save hundreds of billions of dollars.
Cap insulin at $35 per month for everyone, not just seniors.
Cap out-of-pocket prescription drugs for all Americans.
End pay-for-delay deaths that keep generic drugs off the market and allow pharma monopolies to maintain control.
Allow importation of safe, affordable drugs from Canada and other countries.
Invest in public research and development so that taxpayers get a return on the drugs they help fund.
No one should have to choose between their medication and their groceries. No one should have to ration insulin. No one should die because they cannot afford the drug that would save their life.
Maternal and Infant Health: Ending a Preventable Crisis
Louisiana has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation, and the crisis is even worse for Black women, who are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Infant mortality in Louisiana is also among the worst in the country. These are not statistics. These are mothers, babies, and families. These are preventable tragedies. This is the real pro-life position.
I will fight to address this crisis through:
Expanding Medicaid coverage for postpartum care from 60 days to a full year, ensuring that mothers have continuous coverage during the critical months after birth.
Investing in doula and midwifery services, which have been shown to improve outcomes and reduce disparities, especially for Black women.
Requiring implicit bias training for all healthcare providers to address the racial disparities in maternal care.
Expanding prenatal and postnatal care in rural and underserved communities, including mobile prenatal clinics.
Funding maternal mortality review committees to investigate every pregnancy-related death and identify systemic failures.
Ensuring access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion, because reproductive freedom is essential to maternal health.
No mother should die bringing life into this world. No family should lose a child because of preventable complications. I will fight to ensure that every mother and every baby in Louisiana’s 3rd District receives the care they deserve.
Public Health Infrastructure: Preventing Sickness Before It Starts
Medicare for All would ensure that everyone has access to care when they get sick. But we must also address the conditions that make people sick in the first place. Public health is about clean air, clean water, safe food, and healthy communities.
I will fight to:
Fully fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health departments at the state and local level.
Ensure clean drinking water for all communities, including rural areas where water systems are aging and contaminated.
Address environmental health hazards, including air pollution from petrochemical plants, which disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income communities.
Expand access to healthy food through programs like SNAP and WIC, and support local food systems.
Invest in public health research on the health effects of climate change, environmental toxins, and emerging diseases.
Strengthen food safety by enforcing regulations on industrial agriculture and food processing.
A healthcare system that only treats sickness is incomplete. We must also build a society that promotes health.
Reproductive Healthcare: Fill-Spectrum Care for All
Reproductive healthcare is healthcare. I believe that every person has the right to make their own decisions about their body, their health, and their future. This includes access to contraception, abortion, prenatal care, and maternity care.
I will fight to:
Codify Roe v. Wade into federal law, protecting the right to abortion in every state.
Repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funds from covering abortion care for low-income women and veterans.
Protect and expand access to contraception under the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.
End the global gag rule, which restricts international family planning assistance.
Expand Medicaid coverage for reproductive healthcare, including abortion, in states that have restricted access.
Protect IVF and fertility treatments from political interference.
Reproductive freedom is essential to gender equality, economic justice, and public health. I will never stop fighting for it.
Long-Term Care and Seniors: Dignity in Aging
As our population ages, more and more families are struggling to care for elderly parents and loved ones. Nursing home costs can exceed $100,000 per year. Home health aides are often underpaid and undervalued. And too many seniors are forced into poverty to qualify for Medicaid coverage of long-term care.
I will fight to:
Expand Medicare to cover long-term care, including home health services, assisted living, and nursing home care.
Invest in home- and community-based services, so that seniors can age in place with dignity.
Increase pay and benefits for direct care workers, who are disproportionately women and people of color.
Protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and expand benefits to ensure that seniors can retire with security.
Lower prescription drug costs for seniors by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices and capping out-of-pocket costs.
We owe our seniors a debt of gratitude. They should be able to age with dignity, not fear.
Conclusion: A Healthcare System That Works for Everyone
The healthcare agenda I have outlined is ambitious, but it is also practical. It is grounded in the belief that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege. It is designed to save money, improve outcomes, and ensure that no one in Louisiana’s 3rd District has to choose between their health and their financial security.
Medicare for All is not a radical idea. It is an idea whose time has come. Every other wealthy nation guarantees healthcare to its citizens. It is time for the United States to do the same. It is time for Louisiana’s 3rd District to have a representative who will fight for it.
I am running for Congress to be that representative. I will fight for Medicare for All. I will fight for rural hospitals. I will fight for mothers and babies. I will fight for mental health and addiction treatment. I will fight for lower drug prices. And I will fight for a public health system that prevents sickness before it starts.
Because healthcare is not a privilege. It is a right. I will never stop fighting for it.
