Here in Maine, we've expanded Medicaid, put protections in place for seniors and people with pre-existing conditions, cracked down on big drug companies and protected reproductive rights.
While Senator Collins continues to put the Affordable Care Act - and protections for Mainers with pre-existing conditions - at risk, I've fought to protect and expand access to health care here in Maine.
When I was in the Maine Senate and proposed Maine RX - a plan to lower prescription drug costs by forcing the pharmaceutical companies to negotiate - I was told by many people that it was too big an idea, and we couldn't overcome opposition from the drug companies.
The ACA is far from perfect, but through Kynect and expanded Medicaid, it enabled more than 400,000 Kentuckians - especially those with pre-existing conditions - to get affordable health insurance for the first time.
As Speaker, I passed protections for Mainers with pre-existing conditions to prevent insurance companies from denying them coverage - that's the kind of leadership we need in Washington.
We need to work together to strengthen protections for pre-existing conditions and improve upon the gains made under the ACA, not tear it down.
My comprehensive health care plan will lower costs, strengthen Medicaid, and codify protections for people with pre-existing conditions into state law. That will lift up all working families. But our veterans face unique challenges and they deserve a governor who will deliver them specific solutions to expand access and increase options.
President Trump has said he will not sign a bill which does not protect those with pre-existing conditions. I'm a physician who worked in a public hospital for 25 years caring for those with pre-existing conditions.
Attorney General Becerra was the leading force behind the lawsuit to protect the Affordable Care Act. Yes, he had the audacity to maintain protections for people with pre-existing conditions and for those suffering from mental illness.
So, when I saw Congressman Bishop smiling at the White House after voting to gut protections for pre-existing conditions, something inside me broke.
If we do nothing, as the Republicans suggest, we're going to see health care costs reach a point where small businesses can't afford it and families can't afford it. We're going to see people turned down from pre-existing conditions. We're going to find the Medicare doughnut hole - a gap in coverage that's going to hurt a lot of seniors.
Insurance companies can no longer refuse to cover Americans with pre-existing conditions.
Protecting those with pre-existing conditions was one of the greatest health care reforms in our country's history and must be protected at all costs.
People out there with pre-existing conditions, they are worried. Are they going to have the guarantee of coverage if they have a pre-existing condition or if they live in a state where the governor decides that's not a part of the health care, or that the prices are going to go up? That's the worry.
Insurance companies can no longer refuse to cover Americans with pre-existing conditions. That's what change looks like.
I love existing in pre big bang conditions.
When I ran for attorney general, I promised to protect our seniors - and just look at what we've accomplished. From stopping scammers and cracking down on abuse to fighting for lower prescription drug costs, I've always put our seniors first.