Our Healthcare Plan

STATEMENT: A Blueprint for a Healthy District

The engines that move our country and our communities were tested by unprecedented challenges, but our resilience has brought us to a new chapter. While containing health crises will always be a priority, we have learned that the health of District 38 is dependent on more than just medical care. It is built upon the foundation of our living conditions, the quality of our health education, and our daily social engagement.

As a Community Architect, I believe ensuring the health of our district requires managing the full circle of our governance infrastructure. We cannot have a healthy community if our seniors are facing predatory liens, our children are playing in neglected schoolyards, or our streets are overlooked by sanitation services.

The Foundations of Community Health

• Environmental Dignity: We must fully fund the Department of Sanitation to keep our streets clean and free of the waste that invites bacteria and disease into our neighborhoods.

• Safe Spaces for Youth: Health starts in the schoolyard. I am committed to reclaiming our playgrounds from being used as parking lots, ensuring our children have safe spaces for physical activity and development.

• Support for the Vulnerable: Our seniors deserve to age with dignity in their own homes. By making property tax reductions like STAR and SCHE automatic at age 65, we reduce the stress and financial burden on our elders.

• Social & Nutritional Security: We must continue to expand access to Halal and Kosher food options in our schools to respect the diverse needs of the "New American Neighborhood".

Health is not a standalone issue; it is interrelated with our housing, our education, and our transportation. I am running to provide the proactive, technical leadership necessary to ensure that every "cog" in our community engine is working for the people who live here.

The history of healthcare in America truly is a "Long and Winding Road." From colonial times to the present day, the struggle to balance quality care with affordability has defined the American experience. As a Community Architect, I believe we must understand these structural foundations to fix the system for our neighbors today.

The Early Blueprints (1700s–1800s)

In colonial America, healthcare was limited, with women providing much of the primary care, especially during childbirth. The formal medical infrastructure began to take shape with the first medical society in 1735 and the first American medical degree awarded in New York in 1770. However, the Civil War revealed how vulnerable we were; more soldiers died from diseases like measles, typhoid, and dysentery than from actual combat. This crisis forced medical care to become more organized, leading to the growth of the American Medical Association (AMA) by the end of the century.

Unions and the Birth of Benefits (1900s–1920s)

The Industrial Revolution changed the landscape of health. As workers labored on heavy, dangerous machinery, organized unions began fighting for "sickness protection." We have our unions to thank for making healthcare benefits a staple of American life.

While leaders like Theodore Roosevelt supported the idea of health insurance, early attempts—like the AALL bill of 1915—were defeated. A combination of doctors, businesses, and the private insurance industry feared a loss of power and profit. This era also saw the birth of the modern hospital bill, which began to charge more than the average American could afford—a trend that continues today. In 1923, Blue Cross/Blue Shield was born from a monthly pre-paid program for teachers in Dallas.

The Roosevelt and Truman Years (1930s–1940s)

The Great Depression and World War II shaped the healthcare benefits we use now. Franklin Delano Roosevelt introduced a healthcare insurance bill but had to pivot to the Social Security Act of 1935 to ensure the general welfare of aged and vulnerable persons.

• The Stabilization Act of 1942: To fight inflation during the war, the government limited wage increases. Unable to offer higher pay, businesses began offering employer-sponsored health insurance to recruit workers, ushering in the system we know today.

• Managed Care: Industrialist Henry Kaiser and Dr. Sidney Garfield created pre-paid plans that eventually evolved into the HMOs and PPOs we use today.

The Fight for Medicare and Medicaid (1950s–1960s)

Post-war America saw medical miracles like the Polio vaccine, but also a doubling of hospital costs. Harry Truman’s push for a national health plan was attacked as "socialist" and stalled by the Korean War. Finally, in 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Act of 1965, creating Medicare and Medicaid.

 

My Personal Connection: This is the era I was born into. My mother, brother, and I lived on welfare and Medicaid, struggling to make ends meet. Those experiences—knowing the struggle of the working class and the beauty of our community—are what I carry with me as I run for office today.

The Modern Era (1970s–2000s)

Healthcare continued to evolve through the Nixon years with the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 and later the introduction of COBRA in the 1980s. However, the costs have skyrocketed.

• 1960: Healthcare spending was 5% of GDP.

• 2000: Healthcare spending rose to 13.3% of GDP.

The Architect’s Perspective for 2026

As your representative, I see these historical shifts not as coincidences, but as a "full circle" of governance. We have moved through a global pandemic that forced us to rethink our health infrastructure once again. My priority is ensuring that our healthcare system is as resilient and dedicated as the neighbors I serve.

The current state of our healthcare system is a testament to both our progress and the work that remains. As we navigate 2026, we see a landscape where protections we once fought for are now foundational, yet the "Community Architect" in me sees the structural cracks that still need fixing.

Healthcare Today: Protections and Profit

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains the most significant expansion of healthcare since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid. Despite being voted on for repeal over 50 times in Congress, its core protections have transformed the lives of millions.

The End of Exclusion

Perhaps the most vital component of the ACA is the pre-existing condition clause. This effectively ended the predatory practice of denying coverage to individuals with conditions such as:

• Chronic Illnesses: AIDS and asthma.

• Acute Events: Heart attacks and strokes.

• Natural Conditions: Before this law, one out of seven people were denied coverage for pre-existing conditions, which shockingly included pregnancy.

Historically, companies like Blue Cross/Blue Shield charged the same rates regardless of age, sex, or health status. However, as the system shifted toward a profit-based model, prices skyrocketed and the most vulnerable were left behind. The ACA was a necessary course correction to ensure that "neighbors before politics" isn't just a slogan, but a standard of care.

The "Big Pharma" Crisis

While we have expanded access to insurance, the cost of pharmaceuticals has reached levels that I consider near-criminal. Terms like "Big Pharma" have entered our daily vocabulary because the industry often prioritizes shareholders over patients.

• The Price of Greed: We all remember the case of "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli, who raised the price of the life-saving drug Daraprim by 5,000%—from $13.50 to $750.00 per pill.

• A Systemic Failure: While Shkreli served a seven-year prison sentence for unrelated crimes, the systemic issue remains: the price of that pill stayed at $750.00. This is a clear example of why we need an "Architect's" eye in Albany to audit these costs and protect our residents from profiteering.

The Path to Resilience

In District 38, we understand that health is interrelated with everything else—our housing, our education, and our economy. We cannot have a healthy neighborhood if our families are choosing between life-saving medication and their rent.

As a resident of Richmond Hill who grew up on welfare and Medicaid, I know these struggles personally. I am committed to fighting for a system that values the life of a neighbor over the profit of a corporation.

This updated Total Healthcare Plan moves beyond the traditional clinic walls. As a Community Architect, I view health as a "full circle" system that connects your living conditions, your ability to move through the city, and your access to information.

The Total Healthcare Plan: Building Community Resilience

Healthcare is more than a doctor’s visit; it is healthy living, education, and environmental cleanliness. While we must continue practical habits like improved hygiene and health education, we must also build a permanent infrastructure that protects our neighbors before the next crisis hits.

1. Nutritional and Mobile Security

• Codifying Food Pantries: Food pantries have been a lifeline for District 38. I will work to codify and fund permanent food pantry locations in areas of critical need to ensure no neighbor goes hungry.

• Mobile Health Units: We need to bring the "doctor to the door." I will advocate for increased mobile medical units to reach high-need communities, with a specific focus on our NYCHA housing complexes.

2. Multigenerational Health & Digital Access

• The "We Move NYC" Initiative: Inspired by We Speak NYC, I propose creating multi-generational online exercise and wellness programs through the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. These programs will help children, adults, and seniors stay active and connected from home.

• Universal Broadband: High-speed internet is a social determinant of health. I will fight for free broadband citywide, prioritizing NYCHA locations where students and seniors need digital access for telehealth and education most.

3. Activating Underutilized Community Spaces

We often hear there is a shortage of space, but as an architect of community, I see a "cache" of underutilized assets.

• Space Sharing: I will work to open spaces in Resorts World Casino, local churches, schools, libraries, and Parks & Recreation facilities for youth groups, health fairs, and community activities.

• Dignified Climate Relief: Cooling and heating centers are essential services. I will mandate that these centers are fully operational and compliant, especially in NYCHA spaces that have historically been overlooked.

4. Transportation as Healthcare: ADA Compliance

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is now over 35 years old, yet our city remains non-compliant. If you cannot navigate your own neighborhood, you cannot access healthcare.

• The Subway/LIRR Gap: While our bus fleet is fully equipped with lifts and kneeling features, our rail stations lag behind. As of recent counts, only a fraction of LIRR and NYC Transit stations are fully accessible.

• Infrastructure Focus: My transportation platform will prioritize an aggressive schedule to finish the work started 35 years ago—making every station in District 38 accessible for all.

The Architect’s Vision: "Neighbors Before Politics"

From P.S. 62 to Queens College, I have seen how the health of the person is tied to the health of the community. By fixing our infrastructure—our housing, our transit, and our digital access—we build a district that doesn't just survive, but prospers.