Kathleen Murphy, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, has led the way on healthcare issues for her constituents in District 34 (McLean, Great Falls and parts of Vienna and Loudoun County). She knows access to affordable health insurance is critical to all of us but she also knows that the quality of that care is paramount. If a Virginia family qualifies for health insurance and can afford its premiums and deductibles but an insurance company can duck or run away when somebody in the family is diagnosed with a serious illness, how protected are you? What good is access to healthcare if an insurance company doesn’t have your back in a crisis? What would our family have done without solid healthcare coverage, when my husband faced many life-threatening hurdles after a heart attack? If an infant has a rare metabolic disease and insurance balks at paying for special formulas and treatments, Del. Murphy leads the legislative battle to save that child’s life. When the cost of life-saving insulin goes through the roof and treatment options for opioid addiction take too long or are non-existent, Del. Murphy digs in.
All around this great Commonwealth, one hears heart-wrenching stories of good people caught in healthcare hell, people losing everything they have trying to pay medical bills. Last year, Murphy cast her vote for expanded Medicaid coverage. In the end, 300,000 previously uninsured Virginians are now insured, some being treated for illnesses which had threatened their lives. A major step forward. Murphy is a leader when it comes to thinking big, and at the same time, protecting special cases. Lives depend on that kind of leadership. The viability of this Commonwealth demands it.
Roxaneh Chamlou
McLean