Democratic congressional candidate Elaine Luria is making health care affordability a central part of her campaign agenda, outlining a three-part plan focused on lowering the cost of care, simplifying the health care system and closing the health care gap in rural communities.

Luria, who is seeking to return to Congress and represent Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, said the issue comes up frequently as she campaigns across the district.

“One of the things that people are always talking about is the cost of health care,” Luria said.

Her proposal includes restoring Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, expanding Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug prices and extending some of those negotiated drug savings to people with private insurance.

Luria said the expiration of ACA premium subsidies has increased costs for people who rely on the marketplace for coverage. She said people across Hampton Roads using ACA coverage are paying significantly more and called on Congress to reinstate the subsidies.

Luria also pointed to prescription drug costs as another area where she wants to see changes. She said she previously supported allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and believes those savings should be expanded to people with private insurance.

“We also cut the cost of insulin to cap it at $35, and it’s really important that we can keep these health savings in place for people,” Luria said.

Luria proposes expanding TRICARE eligibility

A major component of Luria’s plan focuses on military families and TRICARE, the health insurance program serving military families.

Luria is proposing allowing military dependents to remain on their parents’ TRICARE coverage until age 26, similar to the provision available to many young adults with private health insurance.

“Military families should not be the only families in America who can’t keep their young adults on their health care until age 26,” Luria said.

Luria said she previously introduced the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act, bipartisan legislation that she said received more than 100 cosponsors.

The proposal could have particular significance in Hampton Roads, which has a large military population and includes Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval station.

Simplifying a complicated health care system

The second pillar of Luria’s plan is focused on what she calls the “complexity of care.”

She wants to simplify processes including medical billing and prior authorization, which requires insurers to approve certain treatments, medications or services before they are provided.

Luria said patients should not have to spend weeks navigating insurance companies and billing systems simply to receive the care recommended by their doctors.

“The billing is complex. Prior authorizations are complex,” Luria said. “We need to standardize and simplify these processes.”

Luria said simplifying those processes could make it easier for patients to move from a primary care doctor to a specialist without getting caught in administrative delays.

Rural health care gap

The third pillar of Luria’s plan focuses on access to health care in rural communities.

Luria recently held a roundtable in Franklin, where she said residents raised concerns about the future of local health care and the potential closure of Southampton Medical Center.

She said rural communities can face longer travel times and fewer options for emergency and specialty care.

“It truly is a life-or-death situation in certain cases,” Luria said, pointing to situations involving accidents or serious allergic reactions when emergency care may not be nearby. “I mean, I spoke to a woman the other day who has a seafood allergy, and it was a life-or-death situation for her. Had she not been able to be rushed to the emergency room and she had to go all the way to Emporia or Suffolk, 45 to an hour drive, you know, she could have died.”

Luria is calling for an expansion of federal loan repayment programs for health care providers who commit to working in rural communities for at least five years.

She also supports expanding access to telehealth, mobile health clinics, community health centers and rural emergency medical centers.

Luria said there is no single solution to the rural health care shortage and described it as an “all-of-the-above” approach.

Telehealth, she said, can reduce the need for patients to travel long distances while still allowing them to meet with medical professionals. But she said rural communities also need physical health care facilities closer to where people live.

Luria and Kiggans face rematch

Luria’s health care agenda comes as she prepares for a rematch with Republican incumbent Rep. Jen Kiggans in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District.

Kiggans, a Navy veteran and former nurse practitioner, has also made health care and military issues part of her work in Congress and on the campaign trail. Kiggans has highlighted legislation involving TRICARE, including a transparency measure requiring the program to notify military families in multiple ways when TRICARE policies change.

The two candidates are set to face each other in November.

For Luria, the health care proposal is centered on three priorities: reducing what patients pay for care, making the health care system easier to navigate and ensuring people in rural communities can access care close to home.

“I think that the choice is clear in this election when people go to the polls in November,” Luria said. “I’m the person who will fight for them” and work toward affordable and accessible health care.