Nick Freitas’s Dangerous Ideas For Health Care Reform Will Put Virginians At Risk

From the Democratic Party of Virginia:

Nick Freitas’s dangerous ideas for health care reform will put Virginians at risk

Richmond, VA — Opposing the Affordable Care Act has long been a key part of Delegate Nick Freitas’s platform. In 2014 he supported Dave Brat in part because of his promise to “repeal or defund Obamacare.” In 2018 he argued during his failed campaign for Senate that the ACA was a “cancer,” and promised to “lead the fight to repeal Obamacare full-stop.” And in the General Assembly he voted to deny hundreds of thousands of Virginians affordable health care by opposing the expansion of Medicaid.

During his campaign for Congress Freitas has tried to backpedal on these views, only to have his claims be proven false by independent fact checkers and contradicted by his own statements. Now Freitas is doubling down on his opposition to the ACA, telling NPR recently, “I want to see Obamacare gone.”

So without the ACA and its protections for pre-existing conditions that allow over 3.5 million Virginians to get insurance and its Medicaid expansion that has given nearly 470,000 Virginians access to affordable health care, what health care plan does Freitas support? On a recent episode of his campaign podcast he outlined his ideal system as one in which people would have to rely on doctors feeling charitable to receive care.

On top of his opposition to the ACA, Freitas has cultivated a reputation in the General Assembly as a delegate who’s not afraid to vote against both Democrats and Republicans if it means giving big insurance companies a break. Freitas was the single vote against a bill to prevent insurers from discriminating against those with autism, and also voted for a bill expanding short-term health plans that don’t comply with the ACA and often don’t cover preexisting conditions.

“If Nick Freitas had his way and the Affordable Care Act was repealed, over 70,000 people in the 7th Congressional district would lose their health insurance. With Virginians’ health care on the ballot this year, Freitas has made it clear where he stands – and it’s on the side of the insurance companies backing his campaign, not working families who need affordable health care,” said DPVA Communications Director Grant Fox.