Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-19), a declared 2017 gubernatorial candidate, shared his plans on protecting the state during “a nationwide crisis of uncertainty” in the healthcare industry.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiqagZkNYrE[/fve]
“Health care is not an option, it is a basic human right,†Wisniewski boldly stated in front of a crowd of about 100 at Hudson County Community College in Jersey City.
He also criticized Republicans for only expressing concern for “insurance company profits†and “privatizing Medicare.”
“That crisis of uncertainty threatens our health and our economic future. That crisis of uncertainty has a name, Donald Trump,†Wisniewski also stated at the very beginning of address to the attending public.
He explained that the Republicans in congress have begun the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which would leave “over 400,000 that have coverage directly from the market place instead of from an employer†without medical insurance.
He also pointed out that there are 43,000 New Jersey residents that will most likely lose their expanded Medicare coverage.
Additionally, Wisniewski brought up the major concern for expecting mothers, college students and those “that have that scourge in preexisting condition and the “uncertainty of healthcare.”
He also referenced Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) State of the State address on the Opioid Crisis. During the governor’s address, he mentioned that people would be able to receive treatment for drug addiction.
However, Wisniewski reminded the public that Christie failed to address what happens to this program if the Affordable Care Act is repealed.
As far as the high cost of prescription drugs, U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (D-NJ) also received criticism for voting against bringing in cheaper prescription drugs into the United States that had the same quality and effectiveness of domestic drugs.
According to a statement from Menendez, Wisniewski’s criticism is inaccurate since the Sanders Amendment would not have achieved that.
He has been in full support of “lowering prescription drug costs and advocates for the safe importation of regulated medicines from other countries,” his office said.
If elected governor, he would first sit with the CEO of pharmaceutical companies in New Jersey and ask for a “break on prescription medicine. They can’t all be about profits,” the candidate exclaimed.
Wisniewski also proposed a “Medicare for all system”, “so that people in New Jersey, once and for all, regardless of what happens on the national level, will no longer have to continue to wonder about where their future in health care lies.â€
“As your next governor, I am going to do everything in my power, to head off this crisis and work towards a single payer system right here in New Jersey.â€
Wisniewski received a loud applause from the public but also admitted “that my opponents will take shots at me about the things that I am saying to you today. But I don’t care. Because this is a fight that together we can win. This is a fight that together we must win.”
“The Wiz” faces a stiff challenge in the June Democratic gubernatorial primary in the form of former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy, he has already invested $10 million into his campaign and has notched dozens of key endorsements from around the state.
