Health care is a central issue to Democrat running for 2nd District seat

A Democrat running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020 believes she would be a stronger advocate for those in the 2nd District than the current House member has been on health care issues.

“First and foremost, I look at health care,” said Abbie Hodgson. “Costs continue to rise every single day. Whenever you go to renew your insurance premium, the costs are rising, six, seven, eight or more percentage points every single year.”

The increasing cost of prescription drugs is also a focus of Hodgson’s concern.

“Kansans really want bold and ambitious ideas,” said Hodgson. “They don’t want the continued instability that is happening. You don’t want to worry about whether or not next year, you’re going to be able to see your doctor or have access to health care, or whether your local hospital is going to close down. They really want some stability in the marketplace.”

Any plan Hodgson would support needs to be practical for the long term.

“Those that like their insurance, they want to keep their insurance,” said Hodgson. “That would also be a critical component for any policy that I would consider.”

Hodgson served on the boards of Planned Parenthood of the Great Plains, Kansans Advancing Women, and the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus while living in Lawrence.

She has worked for the Pew Charitable Trusts for the last couple of years in Washington D.C., but has returned to Kansas to run, where she was on the staffs of Governors Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson and taught at the University of Kansas earlier in her career.

Her campaign website is at abbieforcongress.com.