As a recently retired cardiologist who practiced in Southern New Hampshire for 30 years, I urge you to join me in supporting Joe Biden for President. Over 60 New Hampshire physicians have joined Doctors for Biden because we know firsthand how important it is to have affordable health care for all Americans. Many of these doctors are in the trenches of the COVID-19 pandemic and deserve our admiration along with nurses, hospital staff, and other frontline workers.

As a physician, I watched the Trump Administration’s response to the COVID-19 crisis with horror. Trump ignored the advice of health care professionals and the scientific community. In fact, he often derided their opinions and recommendations. Trump will not even be a role model for wearing a mask, which is the most effective way to prevent spread. Our country has become a laughingstock to the rest of the world because of our inability to control the pandemic. While the US only accounts for 4% of the world population, we have suffered 20% of the COVID-19 cases.

There is no way to sugar coat it: Trump’s response to the pandemic has been a total failure.

The pandemic underscores the critical importance of adequate health insurance coverage. As a physician, seeing patients without health insurance is extremely troubling. Now, it is even more deadly. Uninsured patients often get delayed care or no care until they face a health crisis. As a result, these patients often present with advanced stages of diseases, compromising their treatment and recovery.

We were underprepared for this crisis in part because Trump spent the last four years trying to take insurance coverage away from millions of Americans. Through executive actions, Trump did everything he could to to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and create barriers to enrollment. As a result, the uninsured population grew by 1.4 million under his watch. His attempt to take away health insurance in the middle of a worldwide pandemic is unconscionable.

Joe Biden, on the other hand, has a track record of expanding health care coverage for Americans. The Obama-Biden Administration provided insurance to over 20 million Americans under the Affordable Care Act. The growth of access to health care has been life altering for millions of American families. It prevented insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, which affect more than 100 million people in the United States. As a doctor, I have seen this expansion of coverage insurance make the difference between life and death.

It is obvious that Americans need reliable health insurance now more than ever. Joe Biden has extensive plans for improving our health care system and insurance coverage. He will begin by protecting and growing the Affordable Care Act. He will also add a public option similar to Medicare. Joe Biden has laid out a detailed set of plans that would ensure every American could get coverage quickly:

• For those who have lost jobs, the Biden Plan would have the federal government cover 100% of COBRA cost so you can keep your same plan.

• For those who are uninsured, the Biden Plan would reopen enrollment for the

Affordable Care Act now.

• For those on Medicaid, the Biden Plan would boost federal support during the Covid Crisis.

• For those between 60-65, the Biden Plan would allow early enrollment in Medicare as another choice.

• The Biden Plan would make COVID testing and any vaccine free.

• The Biden Plan would ensure that ACA premiums will be limited to 8.5% of income.

• The Biden Plan would rein in ever expanding pharmaceutical costs.

For the sake of our communities’ health, I sincerely hope we elect Joe Biden. We are a swing state where every vote counts. Please be sure you are registered, and make a plan to vote in person or by mail. Granite Staters’ lives are on the line this November, and your vote could make the difference.

Robert C. Dewey, MD is a resident of Bedford.

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