CHICAGO — Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez on Monday praised Vice President Kamala Harris’ record on health care policy, highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to preserve abortion access and lower prescription drug costs.
“Healthcare isn’t just about drugs and treatments. It’s about freedom,” Rodriguez told the crowd on the first night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. “The freedom to make your own choices and to get the care you need without worrying about the cost.”
Rodriguez was elected to his current position in 2022 when Gov. Tony Evers was elected to a second term. Prior to that, he was elected to the state Assembly in 2020, narrowly winning a Republican-held district in suburban Milwaukee.
She previously worked as a registered nurse and also worked for healthcare organizations such as Honeywell Life Care Solutions and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Trump and the Wisconsin Republican Party failed to protect our health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why I ran to flip a Republican district to a Democrat,” she said. “Once a nurse, always a nurse.”
more:Notable Democratic National Convention delegates from Wisconsin include Tony Evers, Tammy Baldwin and Ben Wikler.
Rodiguez took part in a portion of the convention program themed “Investing in the Future” alongside Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Austin Davis, California Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Texas Judge Lina Hidalgo.
Harris’ economic policy also includes prescription drug caps, such as $35 a month for insulin and $2,000 a year in copayments. The proposal is an expansion of programs for seniors in the health care and economics bill that Harris voted for in 2021.
The Biden administration also announced days ago that it had negotiated price cuts with pharmaceutical companies for 10 drugs prescribed by Medicare to treat blood clots, cancer, heart disease and diabetes: Eliquis, Jardiance, Xarelto, Januvia, Farciga, Entresto, Enbrel, Imbruvica, Stelara and the insulins Fiasp and Novolog.
Under President Joe Biden’s climate and health bill, the Combat Inflation Act of 2022, Medicare was given the authority to negotiate prices with drug manufacturers for a limited number of drugs. An additional 30 drugs will be selected over the next two years, with price negotiations to take place in 2027 and 2028.
Harris has also been rallying voters on the issue of abortion access throughout her campaign, long before Biden dropped out of the race.
Abortion is currently performed in Wisconsin, but a challenge to an 1849 state law banning abortion is currently pending in the state Supreme Court.
“Now Trump is promising to end Obamacare, interfering with personal decisions between women and their doctors, and threatening to cut Medicare,” Rodriguez said. “Vice President Harris is fighting for our health. She will protect women’s reproductive freedom and protect Medicare and Medicaid. … Kamala Harris is fighting for that healthy future.”
Jessie Opoien can be contacted at [email protected].
