McCaskill: Hawley would take us back to when people with serious heath problems were denied insurance

(From Sen. Claire McCaskill)

You know as well as I do that this has been one heck of a race. But before the final ballots are cast, I want to take a step back and talk about why I’m running for re-election.

For me and for a lot of folks I’ve talked to on the campaign trail, the most important thing about this year’s election is protecting affordable healthcare, particularly for pre-existing conditions.

Look, I get my healthcare through the exchange. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, I was incredibly lucky that I had the coverage I do. I know our system today isn’t perfect – but it’s a lot better than no system at all. And it’s a lot better than it used to be.

Josh Hawley has filed a lawsuit to strip protections for people with pre-existing conditions. With him in the Senate, Republicans plan to send us back to the bad old days when people with serious health problems could be denied insurance. For a lot of people I’ve spoken to, protecting pre-existing condition coverage is a matter of life and death. I’m never going to stop fighting for those people, and for every other Missourian who needs care.

Of course, I’m not just running because of healthcare. I’m running this campaign because I know Missouri needs an independent fighter in Washington, not another rubber-stamp senator for the most extreme parts of anyone’s agenda.

In my time in the Senate, I’ve been honored to work across the aisle on commonsense reforms to make sure our government is working for you – from keeping lead out of toys to banning government-funded oil paintings (that one saved taxpayers $500,000 a year!). You can see some more of what I’ve accomplished here – and I have plenty more I’d like to tackle.

I could talk your ear off about the other issues in this campaign, but here’s what it comes down to: I want to keep fighting for Missouri’s working families. I’m going to hustle as hard as I can every minute of the next few days to make sure Missourians have a champion in the Senate. I’m not going to stop fighting, and I don’t see the Senate as just a stepping stone on the path to somewhere else.