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?
Paid For By The Committee To Elect Alessandra Biaggi
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