In this election cycle, healthcare is part of the affordability issues campaigns are stressing, Jacob Garcia, RN, MSN, chair of the Washington State Nurses Association Political Action Committee, said in a phone call. "Viewing it from my nursing lens, with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right now [patients'] basic needs are not being met, like shelter and providing for themselves and their family. They are not going to do preventative measures -- insurance is probably going to be one thing they won't pay for."
"I think we are seeing a breaking point within the healthcare system," said Garcia. "Both regular people and those that work in the system know and see how unsustainable it is ... We're already seeing cracks, especially in rural communities; we're seeing hospitals close, big systems gobbling up everyone, and people trying to do more with less."