Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 election. Here’s what we know about his healthcare policies.
After closely considering three candidates to run alongside her in the 2024 presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Tim Walz as her running mate for November — the Minnesota governor with a history of progressive healthcare views and policies.
Walz, who has served as the governor of the midwestern state since 2019, has long advocated for affordable and accessible healthcare for all. It’s therefore safe to presume that he would continue to champion progressive healthcare policies if he were to become the vice president.
I am proud to announce that I've asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate.
undefined Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 6, 2024
As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his.
It's great to have him on the team.
Now let’s get to work. Join us:https://t.co/W4AE2WlMTj
Before his political career, Walz was an educator, a football coach, an agricultural worker, and a former U.S. Army non-commissioned officer.
Walz's progressive record
In his time as governor, he has fought to preserve the Health Care Access Fund, which provides healthcare access to 1.2 million Minnesotans. He also signed a bill increasing protections for seniors in assisted living facilities, effectively championed legislation to increase transparency in prescription drug costs, and signed the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act, which capped insulin prices.
Walz is a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. As a teacher back in 1999, he took on the role of the faculty advisor of the first gay-straight alliance at Mankato West High School.
Recently, in 2023, he signed laws banning conversion therapy and protecting access to gender-affirming care within his state, writing on social media: “In Minnesota, we’re protecting rights – not taking them away.”
I just signed three bills into law that:
undefined Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) April 27, 2023
✔️Protect people seeking or providing abortions in Minnesota
✔️Ban the harmful practice of conversion “therapy”
✔️Protect access to gender-affirming health care
In Minnesota, we’re protecting rights – not taking them away.
Walz has also worked to preserve access to reproductive rights, signing a law to codify abortion access into the state’s constitution. He also issued executive orders that forbid state legal authorities from obeying subpoenas or arrest warrants from other states for those who travel to access an abortion, and those who provide them.
He is a strong supporter of medical research on cannabis, and he worked to extend research on the health effects of Agent Orange — a harmful, toxic herbicide mixture used by the United States military during the Vietnam War.
Additionally, Walz signed a law banning the use of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in items including menstrual products, dental floss, cookware items, and cleaning products.
Recently, for the second year in a row, Minnesota was ranked as the best state in the nation for healthcare based on 44 key indicators, including cost, access, and health outcomes.
“Minnesota’s top spot in this ranking is a reflection of our world-renowned health care institutions and unwavering commitment to providing accessible and affordable health care to every Minnesotan,” Walz said in a press release following the news. “From lowering prescription drug costs to helping Minnesotans access affordable health insurance, we are proud of the work we’ve done to make high-quality health care affordable and accessible for Minnesotans.”
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