Healthcare is on the ballot

L to R: Sen. Todd Gardenhire, Eddie Mannis, Diane Canada, Rep. Chris Hurt, Rep. Mark White, Patricia Possel and John Gillespie

And the Republican supermajority has earned a failing grade

After a full decade of complete control of Tennessee government, the Republican record on healthcare is pathetic:

—The supermajority is trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which protects health coverage for more than 1 million Tennesseans with pre-existing conditions;

—Tennessee leads the nation in hospital closures because the supermajority refuses to bring home $1.4 billion of our tax dollars every year through Medicaid expansion;

—Our families have more medical debt and suffer more medical bankruptcies than families in almost every other state; and

—10 percent of our families have lost their health insurance through no fault of their own.

For the families in Tennessee who have health coverage, far too often, their insurance comes with outrageous deductibles and high co-pays. So what good is health coverage if you cannot afford to use it?

The Republican approach on healthcare is not working for everyday families and, worse yet, their uniform opposition to the Affordable Care Act is endangering important health protections for our families.

No one in Tennessee should go broke because they went to the doctor

There is a better way. Vote no on these candidates and send a message: Affordable healthcare is important to our families.

Support candidates who will fight for affordable healthcare and strong healthcare protections so insurance companies can never take advantage of us.

Support candidates who promise to vote for Medicaid expansion, which will create 20,000 new jobs and make sure 300,000 working families have health coverage.

Whatever you do: Vote no on these candidates.

The health of our families cannot afford another 10 more years of Republican control.

Our families deserve healthcare we can afford. Hold these extremists accountable.