On education, I will emphasize ensuring zip code does not determine the quality of education. There is a wide dispersion of the quality of education and healthcare in NJ, largely based on income demographics. School funding is largely a state issue and is the main driver of increasing property taxes. At the federal level, I will advocate for programs that eliminate the gaps among our school districts, and I will increase transparency and accountability in school spending to ensure money is only applied to proper and proven techniques for teaching and learning, not other non-education expenses that artificially inflate property taxes. I will strongly advocate for ensuring that there is a balance between federal and state level involvement so that education is effective and efficient and your property tax dollars are spent wisely.
Similarly for healthcare, I will emphasize ensuring that zip code does not determine the quality, availability, and affordability of healthcare. I will prioritize quality healthcare at early stages of life, pre-natal, and post-natal, because a healthy birth and early childhood provide an advantage for a child to thrive. I will work with my congressional colleagues to overhaul the Affordable Care Act to lower the cost of healthcare, keeping the parts that are working (e.g., coverage for preventative care) while changing what needs to be changed (including subsidies). I will prioritize proper and complete care for mental illness and addiction – no more “30 days and back on the street”. I will do this in partnership with healthcare providers and insurance companies so that the solution is win-win-win. Demonizing “Big Pharma” and insurance companies is counterproductive. They are not in business to lose money, so let’s figure out a way for them to make money and provide quality healthcare to all. Making healthcare more affordable has a domino effect, as it impacts almost every other affordability issue we deal with such as property taxes, cost of goods and services, and our own health insurance premiums and co-pays.
