Healthcare Advocates and Voters Rally for Andy Kim
Healthcare Advocates and Voters Rally for Andy Kim
Highland Park— New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA), Blue Wave New Jersey, Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA NJ) joined dozens of voters from the 3rd Congressional District for a Zoom press conference and rally today to support the re-election of Democratic Congressman Andy Kim. Kim has been a champion of healthcare during his two years in office voting to defend and expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and supporting legislation to lower drug prices. His opponent David Richter, by contrast, supports President Trump who is seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
Maura Collinsgru, NJCA Health Care Program Director said, “The stakes in this election have never been higher. Just one week after the election, a Republican led- effort to declare the ACA unconstitutional will be heard by the Supreme Court. It is more important than ever that we elect strong candidates like Andy Kim. He has demonstrated his commitment to defending the protections and benefits of the ACA hundreds of thousands of his constituents have come to rely on and will fight back against Republican attempts to take care health care away from millions of Americans.”
For New Jersey residents and taxpayers, the stakes are particularly high. As Blue Wave New Jersey Health Committee Co-Chair Andrew Sprung pointed out, “600,000 New Jerseyans are now covered by the ACA Medicaid expansion, and 175,000 are subsidized in the ACA marketplace. Andy Kim will defend the ACA and work to further expand access. His opponent says he wants to ‘fight against socialized medicine’–code for un-insuring tens of millions. The choice couldn’t be clearer for those who want to protect our health care.”
Voters speaking at the rally like COVID-19 survivor and Burlington resident Denise Hollingsworth understand that the Trump administration and the Trump-led GOP have been unrelenting in their assault on the ACA, which includes the lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court that could render the landmark law unconstitutional. “I’m a survivor of COVID-19 still dealing with the after effects, and I need effective and affordable treatment,” said Hollingsworth. “Without the Affordable Care Act I wouldn’t be able to pay for my treatments, which keep me healthy and alive. Congressman Andy Kim has been a champion for better healthcare and of the ACA, which the Trump-led GOP has done its best to dismantle. I’m voting for Andy Kim for the sake of my health, for the millions still struggling with COVID-19, and for better healthcare for all Americans.”
Andy Kim has also served on the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, one of only two freshman Representatives to do so. “In Congress, Andy Kim has fought for stronger protections for patients and healthcare workers, because he understands that safe and improved access to care translates to improved health outcomes. His leadership has helped to save lives during a global pandemic outbreak, said Debbie White, President of HPAE, the state’s largest union representing nurses and health professionals. “We urge voters to elect Andy Kim to represent us in Washington D.C.”
For many voters the issue of health care is personal. Marty Hagerty, a Cinnaminson resident stated, “I have a neurological disorder and other conditions that have resulted in my heart being restarted, MRIs, therapy and medications. I’ve been furloughed from work, and I rely on the Affordable Care Act to afford my treatments. Congressman Andy Kim has fought to defend the ACA and lower drug prices, whereas the Trump-led GOP keeps trying to dismantle or destabilize the ACA. I’m voting for Andy Kim to ensure that I and everyone else struggling with conditions and illness have the healthcare they need to survive.”
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New Jersey Citizen Action is a statewide advocacy and social service organization that advocates for social, racial and economic justice for all while also meeting the pressing needs of low and moderate income New Jerseyans through education and direct service.
