I’m certain I’m not alone. People from all walks of life are struggling to afford the high cost of health care in this country. Far too many are forced to make impossible choices between accessing lifesaving prescription drugs or putting food on the table or paying rent. Millions of people in places like Florida, Texas, and Georgia are locked out of affordable coverage because of state leaders’ refusal to expand Medicaid. Others are just struggling to afford health care premiums and are delaying or forgoing essential care because of cost. And our nation’s seniors and people with disabilities are still denied vision, dental preventive and treatment care, and hearing coverage.

In New Hampshire, as many as 25 percent of residents reported that they did not fill a prescription due to cost. The average annual cost of brand name prescription drugs in New Hampshire jumped by 58% between 2012 and 2017, while Granite Staters’ annual income increased by only 13%.

It does not have to be this way.

That’s why I recently joined Protect Our Care nationwide bus tour in Concord to demonstrate the urgent need for lowering health costs, expanding coverage, and reducing racial inequities in care. We discussed the awful choices that our neighbors are forced to make due to the cost of prescription drugs.

In the coming weeks, President Biden and members of Congress have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally take action to transform health care for millions of Americans. President Biden and our Congress are working to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices, close the Medicaid gap so millions of uninsured Americans can gain coverage, expand Medicare benefits to include hearing, dental, and vision, and further reduce premiums for millions of Americans purchasing coverage on their own.

These policies would make a world of a difference for people like me, but also for countless working families, seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants, and communities of color.

As lawmakers work to secure these measures in upcoming budget reconciliation legislation, it is our job to make our voices heard and support our elected officials who are prioritizing our health care. At the same time, we must hold our elected officials accountable for choosing to stand by Big Pharma and other special interests and reject policies to improve care and lower costs for the American people.

If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that health care must be a right, not a privilege. We also need to focus on healthcare’s social dilemma and prioritize our efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion.

There has never been a more urgent time to lower health care costs and expand coverage, and it’s imperative that Congress enacts these provisions this fall to give us much-needed relief – it’s not only smart policy, but it’s the right thing to do for our country.