Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out Congress For Giving Themselves Cheap Healthcare

Ocasio-Cortez did not hold back her frustration with the system

Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had some choice words about the U.S. healthcare system after comparing what she’s paying now as a Congresswoman to what she paid as a waitress for her healthcare plan — and she’s on a mission to reform it all.

Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, said during her on-boarding to Congress, she was allowed to pick her insurance plan. In doing so, the disparity of what she used to pay earning far less money became quite clear.

“As a waitress, I had to pay more than TWICE what I’d pay as a member of Congress,” she wrote on Twitter. “It’s frustrating that Congressmembers would deny other people affordability that they themselves enjoy.”

Her endorsement of Medicare-for-All, which is the expansion of Medicare for all Americans popularized by Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential run. “Health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. Every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income,” Sanders said. “The only long-term solution to America’s health care crisis is a single-payer national health care program.”

Ocasio-Cortez actually served as one of his volunteers during the presidential campaign, so her passion for this issue likely runs deep.

According to The Hill, Medicare-for-All is supported by 70 percent of the country.

But Ocasio-Cortez wasn’t done there:

“Also, pretty sure one Dante’s Circles of Hell includes scrolling through a mirror-hall of agonizingly similar healthcare plans like “UHG Choice Master HMO 1800” vs “RedGo Option Plus EPO 2000.” Amen, lady friend. Those options are confusing AF even for the most knowledgeable people.

The freshman Congresswoman worked as a waitress and bartender to help supplement her mother’s income after graduating from Boston University. This isn’t the first time she’s spoken out against healthcare reform, taking on members of Congress who’ve chosen to go after her.

She also called out a hospital in Texas that suggested a patient use GoFundMe to pay for her heart transplant, which she was told she wasn’t a candidate for because she’d need a “more secure financial plan.” Ocasio-Cortez’s reaction: “Insurance groups are recommending GoFundMe as official policy – where customers can die if they can’t raise the goal in time – but sure, single payer healthcare is unreasonable.”

For the Congresswoman, the choices are clear: “People don’t want overly complicated choice between pricey, low-quality plans,” she continued. “We want an affordable solution that covers our needs, like the rest of the modern world.”

It’s clear Ocasio-Cortez is ready to take on the most important, most critical issues facing our nation — and she’s also ready to make some noise.