With Donald Trump announcing his Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, our health care is on the line. Barrett previously expressed sympathies toward eliminating the Affordable Care Act, and if confirmed, more than 133 million people could find themselves without health care.
We find no courage from Rep. Mike Garcia for standing up to this president or for our health care. In the short time since he was elected, Garcia has shown his true colors. He voted against bipartisan legislation to reduce out-of-pocket health care costs. You would think that during a global pandemic Garcia would prioritize health coverage for his constituents.
Sadly, yet unsurprisingly, he fails to even mention health care coverage on his website.
Christy Smith, on the other hand, understands the urgency to both protect the Affordable Care Act and expand its coverage. Christy’s mother died as a result of unaffordable health care and prohibitive prescription drug costs, so this fight is personal for her. In the state Assembly, she stood in support of an important measure that would have put a price cap on the cost of insulin.
In Congress, she would no doubt do the same and never stop fighting to control the cost of prescription drugs, protect Medicare and Medicaid, and provide a public health insurance option for anyone who wants it. I implore you to vote for Smith. Garcia campaigned on getting the Affordable Care Act “off the books.” But without the Affordable Care Act, I lose the ability to see my doctor and I am priced out of the cost of my prescriptions.
For our democracy to have any chance of protecting our health care, Congress needs to be a check on this president. This is urgent. This is life or death. We cannot afford another two years of Garcia.
Ulysses S. Taylor IV
Santa Clarita
