[1]Alessandra Biaggi - Democrat for State Senate



Friends -

Last week, in the middle of the night, I started to feel a shooting pain
on the lower right side of my abdomen. It wasn’t budget anxiety gnawing at
me this time. It was my appendix. The pain did not go away. Within 24
hours, I was in surgery having my appendix removed at Lawrence Hospital in
Bronxville.

I’m fine now. The care I received was incredible. I am sore, but
recovering, and continuing to fight for New Yorkers in the budget session.

But I cannot stop thinking about the privilege I had that maybe saved my
life: health insurance from the State of New York, which all legislators
have access to buy into. Without that insurance, would I have gone to the
hospital so quickly? Would I have worried about the cost, if I was going
to be bankrupted by the bill sent to me afterwards? Would I have tried to
ignore the pain that was a clear sign I needed care?

Appendicitis is actually used to measure access to care because it is so
time sensitive. Acute appendicitis is a time-sensitive condition. Once
appendicitis develops, any delay in treatment increases the risk of the
appendix bursting, and so delay in care is associated with worse outcomes.
Barriers to care lead to a higher chance that the appendix will burst.
Historically, that has meant people without insurance - frequently more
likely to be Black and Latinx - had higher rates of appendicitis where the
appendix burst.

That is unjust, and is just one example of inequality and systemic racism
coming together to create the life-expectancy gaps we see in the United
States.

That is also why I am fighting for better healthcare for all New Yorkers
and supporting the New York Health Act, which would provide universal
health care here in New York State. I do not believe we can have a just
society if some people can get treatment for appendicitis in hours and
others fear that they will not be able to afford treatment until it is too
late.

As we work towards universal care, I also will fight to expand Medicaid
funding, rather than cut it like the governor has done. I will seek to
fund our public hospitals and expand care that is free at the point of
service in clinics.

I want you to know that I will never take my lot in life for granted and
will always fight for every human being to have a healthier, more secure,
and dignified life.

Alessandra

While Alessandra is fighting for a fair and equitable budget, our campaign
still has some modest fundraising goals to reach. Can she count on you to
make a $3
contribution today?

[ [link removed] ]Contribute
$3 to
Alessandra's campaign.

[ [link removed] ]CONTRIBUTE



 
Email is a very important way we communicate with supporters like you, but if you want to, you can unsubscribe here: [link removed]