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Healthcare & Rural Health

Every American deserves access to high‑quality, affordable healthcare, and no one should go bankrupt or be denied coverage because of a pre‑existing condition. I’ll fight to lower prescription drug costs, protect and expand Medicare, and keep healthcare dollars in our district by empowering preventive care, primary care access, mental health resources, and addiction recovery services.

Rural Northern California faces unique barriers, from maternity deserts to hospital and clinic closures. These problems have been made worse by recent federal legislation that cuts Medicaid funding and threatens the survival of rural hospitals. It’s time we stood up against these harmful reforms.

Audrey on Healthcare

Fight for Rural Healthcare

A Message from Audrey

Priorities

  • Guarantee universal, high-quality healthcare through a Single-Payer/Medicare for All system.
  • In the short term, strengthen and expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to help families facing high healthcare costs.
  • Lower prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for more drugs.
  • Protect reproductive rights, including access to safe and legal abortion and comprehensive family planning services.
  • Increase federal and state funding for public health to reduce long-term costs and improve population health outcomes.
  • Invest in mental health and addiction recovery services to meet growing needs across the district.
  • Support critical access hospitals and prevent rural hospital closures through legislation like the Rural Hospital Access Act.
  • Expand telehealth and remote care services for rural patients who face long travel times for appointments.

Incentivize healthcare professionals to work in rural and underserved areas by offering student loan forgiveness and relocation incentives.

Why it Matters

Northern California is in a full-blown healthcare crisis.

 

  • Nearly 1 in 5 residents in our district lives with a physical disability. That’s double the state average.
  • In several counties, hospitals have closed their labor and delivery units, forcing pregnant women to travel hours or cross state lines just to give birth.
  • In Glenn County, the complete closure of a hospital has left residents with no emergency or inpatient services, creating dangerous delays for people in crisis.
  • Our region includes many of the California counties with the highest all-cause mortality rates, cancer mortality, and unintentional injuries, according to state public health data.
  • Across the district, people face long waits for emergency care, limited access to specialists, and increasing barriers to seeing a primary care doctor at all. Many rural providers are retiring, and the next generation isn’t being trained or incentivized to stay.
  • Half of the people in our district rely on public health insurance programs like Medi-Cal or Medicare, but access to the care that exists is worsening.

 

The Affordable Care Act helped our region by expanding coverage and reducing the uninsured rate. But families are still being crushed by rising premiums, surprise bills, and limited provider access. Even those with insurance often skip care because they can’t afford to use it. Our healthcare system is failing real people, and it’s actively leaving rural Americans behind.

What I Believe

Healthcare is a human right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. Every person, no matter their income, zip code, age, or health history, deserves access to high-quality care.

The Affordable Care Act was a critical step forward: it expanded coverage to more than 17 million Americans, protected people with pre-existing conditions, and allowed young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26. But that progress is under attack.

Trump and Republicans in Congress are rolling back protections, cutting Medicaid and Medicare, and defunding programs that help working families afford basic care. These rollbacks threaten the health and stability of our seniors, our children, and our rural communities, where access is already stretched thin.

We need to defend the gains we’ve made and build on them. That means reducing premiums and deductibles, ending price gouging by pharmaceutical companies, and investing in rural health infrastructure so every person, no matter where they live, can access the care they need, when they need it.

How I'll Lead

As your Representative, I will:

  • Fight for universal healthcare through a Medicare for All model that guarantees high-quality care for everyone.
  • Secure federal funding to support rural hospitals, mental health and addiction recovery services, and public health initiatives.
  • Advance bipartisan policies to expand telehealth and incentivize rural healthcare providers.
  • Protect reproductive freedom and ensure every woman has access to full-spectrum reproductive care.

These aren’t just policy goals. They’re personal priorities. I’ve lived in a rural district with no gynecological oncologists and have personally driven hundreds of miles for care. We deserve better, and I’m ready to fight for it.

Proven Leadership in Times of Crisis