Affordable and Accessible Health Care

       Access to health care is one of the most pressing challenges facing Americans today, and the rising cost of care has pushed many families in District 69 to the breaking point. Families are grappling with skyrocketing premiums, deductibles, and prescription prices. Even insured patients often find themselves postponing care because they simply can’t afford it.

       Leilani Barnett believes access to health care should not depend on your income or your address! Strengthening rural hospitals through targeted state funding, expanding Medicaid, and investing in telehealth infrastructure are critical steps. These are commonsense, cost-effective solutions that keep care close to home, protect rural economies, and ensure every Texan—no matter where they live—can get the treatment they need without going broke. 

       Medicaid and Medicare cuts have many rural hospitals facing closure, and when a rural hospital closes, it doesn’t just eliminate a building; it removes emergency care, maternity services, and essential preventive medicine from thousands of people who depend on it. 

       The result is delayed treatment, worsening health outcomes, and increased medical debt for families already stretched thin. The core issue is financial sustainability. Rural hospitals face higher operating costs, lower patient volumes, and insufficient reimbursement rates from Medicare and Medicaid. 

       It is time for a state represent who will focus on allocating more of the budget to Medicaid, expanding eligibility, and helping fund rural hospitals and clinics that rely on Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. 

        Leilani doesn't believe one should need to be rich to access health care! Strengthening rural hospitals through targeted state funding, expanding Medicaid, and investing in telehealth infrastructure are critical steps. These are commonsense, cost-effective solutions that keep care close to home, protect rural economies, and ensure every Texan—no matter where they live—can get the treatment they need without going broke.