Healthcare Independence

A Mission for the Common Good

I. The Call to Duty
Friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens. To the veterans in this room who have worn the uniform: you know what it means to serve a cause greater than yourself. To our seniors: you are the backbone of our community, the ones who built the prosperity we enjoy today. And to the independents—those of you tired of the partisan bickering that puts slogans over solutions—I hear you.

We are entering 2026, and the old promises aren't cutting it anymore. We were told that more "red tape" or "more of the same" would fix our healthcare. Instead, we’ve watched costs skyrocket while our choices have vanished. Today, we propose a new mission: Healthcare Independence.

II. The Power of the Public Option
We aren't here to talk about a government takeover. We’re here to talk about freedom. We believe that every American worker should have the same high-quality options as those in the highest levels of government.

Our plan is simple: We want to give every employer the power to offer a Medicare-for-All Public Option right alongside their private plans. If you like your private insurance, keep it. But if that private plan is bleeding you dry with premiums and deductibles, you should have the right to choose a government-backed option that puts people over profits.

By allowing employees to buy into a Medicare-style system, we aren't just giving you a choice—we’re giving you a safety net that follows you, even if you change jobs or start your own business.

III. Defending Our Seniors and Veterans
To our seniors: some will try to tell you that expanding these options will hurt your benefits. They are wrong. By bringing millions of young, healthy workers into a public system, we strengthen the pool. We make the system more solvent, not less. We are protecting the Medicare you earned by making the entire national infrastructure more efficient.

To our veterans: you have seen what a unified system can do, but you’ve also seen the cracks in the VA. By opening up a Public Option for all employees, we create a "dual-track" of care. Veterans can choose to use the VA or use this new employer-sponsored public option, ensuring that no hero is ever stuck on a waiting list again. Competition doesn't just lower prices; it raises the standard of care for everyone.

IV. Driving Down the Cost of Living
The biggest thief in the American pocketbook in 2026 is the cost of prescription drugs. For too long, we’ve been the world’s ATM for Big Pharma.

By creating a Public Option that covers millions more Americans, we create the world’s most powerful negotiating block. When we sit down at the table with drug companies, we won't be asking for a fair price—we will be demanding it. And when the public option drives drug prices down, the private insurers will have no choice but to lower their prices too, or lose their customers. That is the American way: competition driving excellence.

V. Conclusion: Common Sense for a Common Future
Independents, you know that neither side has a monopoly on good ideas. Seniors, you know the value of a promise kept. Veterans, you know that a team is only as strong as its weakest link.

This isn't about Left or Right. It’s about Front and Center. It’s about a common-sense solution that uses the scale of the government to fight for the individual. Let’s take the power away from the lobbyists and the middlemen and put it back where it belongs: in the hands of the American worker.

Let's build a 2026 where healthcare is a source of security, not a source of fear.

Thank you, and God bless.