Healthcare Platform

We, the Virginia Young Democrats, affirm our belief that healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege. Today, young people's ability to receive affordable health care is challenged like never before, leaving many without access to critical medicines and treatments. The skyrocketing cost of healthcare not only has a direct negative impact on the health of Virginians most vulnerable citizens; it hurts our economy as well. Small and large businesses suffer, simply for choosing to provide their workers with health coverage. For these reasons and more, we affirm our unwavering belief in the right of all Virginian's to receive quality, affordable health care.

We acknowledge that health care in Virginia requires a comprehensive approach, with a focus on preventative care and investment in cutting edge medical research. We must work to ensure that all patients have access to the best medicines and state-of-the-art prevention and detection techniques to stop diseases early. We also recognize the benefits of preventing illness through better nutrition and exercise. We recognize that our generation has opportunities like never before, to push the boundaries of science in search of new medical therapies and cures. New therapies to prolong life for people with AIDS, openings in the fight to cure cancer, and so many other breakthroughs in medical research must be encouraged. We fully support aggressively funding biomedical research, including emerging research with stem cells, to discover affordable and effective therapies for diseases like Alzheimer's, to juvenile diabetes, to Parkinson's, and many others. This research gives us hope for the future, and we owe not just to ourselves but those that came before us and will come after us, to invest in life-saving research today. We cannot and will not walk away from the chance to save lives and reduce human suffering.

We acknowledge reducing barriers and cutting costs must be a focus, and are one of the most effective means to ensure more Virginians have adequate health coverage. By integrating technology into the medical system, we can improve the quality of patient care and save money currently wasted by administrative processing and paperwork. In doing so, we can make the system more efficient and relieve some of the financial burden faced by families, businesses, and young professionals. We recognize that the highest quality of medical treatment is achieved when doctors spend more time with patients and less time filling out forms. To that end, we support giving medical providers incentives and resources to simplify their paperwork and cut red tape in the medical system. We recognize that our health care system rests on the individuals who comprise it, and support fair treatment for all health professionals. We believe firmly that doctors and nurses should be the ones in charge of making medical decisions with their patients, not HMO bureaucrats.

We support efforts to make Medicare, Medicaid, the Veteran's Health Administration, and Social Security will be solvent and viable for Virginians now and in the future. These programs, all of which had their foundation in the Democratic Party, still serve as a safety net offering health care benefits to Virginians from all walks of life, including children, pregnant women, young professionals, veterans, and other adults.

We recognize that truly universal health coverage leaves no Virginian out. We support efforts to ensure that all women have access to pre-natal, reproductive, and family planning services and that such services are provided to women unable to afford such care. We oppose cuts in mental health services, including those for children and adolescents, and support expanding private health insurance benefits to include parity for mental health services. We also recognize the need to fund community-based alcohol and drug-treatment programs, with a particular focus on inner-city and rural communities. We acknowledge African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians continue to live with less access to health services. Cultural and language barriers remain a particular problem for immigrant communities. We will fight racial and ethnic health care disparities by increasing research and training in the medical profession, breaking down language barriers, and ensuring good health care for all Americans. We will also work to ensure that women have access to the best medicines and state-of-the-art prevention and detection techniques to stop diseases early. We will also support prevention of illness through better nutrition and exercise.

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