Every American deserves healthcare regardless of whether they have a job. That’s why we need a universal single-payer healthcare system — with an opt-out if you’re a private insurance super-fan… for some reason.

Basically what this means is that your tax dollars would be used for your healthcare. Despite conservative talking points, both you and your employer are paying far more, in terms of both premiums and deductibles, than people in countries with universal healthcare, and the outcomes are somehow worse! That's why I’m going to offer actual solutions to the problems we’re facing:

• Universal Healthcare: A system where your tax dollars pay for the healthcare that you want and need. No more deductibles, no more “that’s not covered under your plan,” no more “out of network providers,” and no more insurance agents trying to get you the least possible care for the most possible money. Just you and your doctor in the room. Nowhere in the world do these systems cost more than what you’re paying now for your deductibles, copays, and the cost of leaving important health issues unattended, so it won’t cost more in the United States either. With single-payer, you can expect a significantly smaller percentage of your income to go to your healthcare, with better outcomes, and more care.

• All-Inclusive: That means dental, because your teeth are not luxury bones. Eye care, because you shouldn’t have to stretch those disposable one-day contacts over three days. Preventative and mental healthcare will also be included because they involve your health. Your yearly check-up, comprehensive health screenings, blood tests — all of it. You need a smart healthcare system that gathers the data it needs to help you stay healthy and live a long life, not a healthcare system run by AI agents that don’t understand context, or their billionaire investors. Those guys aren’t your doctors or healthcare providers.

• Drug Price Negotiation: Drug companies have extorted us for too long. They’ve raked in profits hand over fist, and while we all need access to the drugs that keep us healthy and alive, we shouldn’t be questioning whether to pay for our prescriptions or our other essential living costs.

• Rural Support: Rural America has long been impacted by a lack of access to both healthcare providers and pharmacies. This means a lot more preventable illnesses and preventable deaths. That's why I will introduce legislation to establish training programs that will pay medical school tuition for doctors who will work in underserved areas, as well as fund assistance programs to keep hospitals in those areas open so they can focus on what really matters: helping patients.

• Innovation: While Trump and his Republican Party defund essential research at the National Institute of Health, deregulate the pharmaceutical industry, and let the supplements industry take over healthcare, I would rather propose real solutions: let’s help people connect to new trials if they need access to new treatments, especially for life-threatening illnesses. If there’s a chance we can save lives and improve the future of healthcare for all Americans, then you can be sure that we will.