Carroll Foy announces plan to expand healthcare access, lower costs

Jennifer Carroll Foy released a comprehensive health care plan to address the systemic healthcare challenges Virginians face today.

The Carroll Foy plan calls for investments in mobile health clinics to facilitate vaccine distribution, establishes a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to ensure transparent pricing so Virginians aren’t overpaying for critical medication, and further expands Medicaid coverage.

“Growing up in Petersburg, I sat at the kitchen table with my aunt as we faced the impossible decision to pay the mortgage or for my grandmother’s medication after her stroke. I remember we had to cut her pills in half to make them stretch longer,” said Carroll Foy, a former state delegate running for the Democratic Party nomination for governor.

“Later, as a public defender and as a foster mom, I saw how lack of access to healthcare held the people I served back and even cut lives short. And as a mom, it was high-quality healthcare that made the difference between life and death for me and my family when I faced medical complications after delivering premature twin boys. These were my experiences, but really they’re the experiences of too many Virginians,” Carroll Foy said.

“The challenges of our healthcare system are on full display during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many leaders have tried and failed to create long lasting change to our system. In part because of those failures, the costs of prescription drugs continue to rise and too many Virginians go without health insurance – all during a public health crisis. I was proud to help Governor Northam successfully expand Medicaid to over 500,000 Virginians when other governors came up short. But there is still so much more to be done. My healthcare plan takes the persistent issues in our system head on, working to insure more Virginians while lowering prescription drug prices and insurance premiums. And I’ll make sure culturally competent care is a priority so no Virginian is left behind because of their race, gender, or background.”

More from the Carroll Foy healthcare plan 

• Reduce health insurance costs by building a Virginia Reinsurance Program that will lower premiums for hardworking families.
• Ensure transparency in medical pricing so that Virginians know exactly what they’ll pay for the care they need and can make informed decisions.
• Boost broadband coverage to bring telehealth visits to more Virginians.
• Additional investments in rural healthcare so Virginians can access quality care in their own community.
• Ensure Virginians of all backgrounds have equal access to health services by increasing funding for the Virginia Maternal Mortality Review Team, allocating funding for doula care through Medicaid to drive down racial disparities in childbirth outcomes, making Virginia medical schools more diverse by ensuring students of color have an equal shot at such a career path, increasing access to culturally competent care.

Read her full plan here.