Troy Jackson Vows To Fight For Affordable Health Care At Community Conversation With Dr. Nirav Shah

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SCARBOROUGH, ME — Fifth-generation logger, former Maine Senate President, and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson held a community conversation in Scarborough with former Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah focused on lowering the cost of health care, expanding access, and the importance of electing leaders who will stand up for Mainers — unlike Susan Collins, who enabled Donald Trump to gut health care to fund tax cuts for billionaires.

“Troy, there are so many areas in which, as our state motto says, Maine has led, and I feel like in the Senate, you will be able to bring a lot of the lessons as to what Maine has already done to the federal level, and actually educate other states and other senators about whether it's prescription drug pricing, corrections policy, substance use, labor rights, a whole host of things,” said Dr. Shah. “We know it’s pretty clear who's going to show up for us and who's not going to show up for us, and I think we've all heard this evening that Troy Jackson, soon to be Senator Troy Jackson, is going to be.”

“I’m damn proud to stand on stage alongside Dr. Shah and speak directly with voters about their concerns and ideas for the future of health care in this country,” said Jackson. “Health care is a human right, not a privilege reserved for people who can afford it. That’s why I proudly support Medicare for All, lowering drug costs, and taking on Big Pharma when I get to the U.S. Senate so that Mainers aren’t avoiding the doctor or rationing life-saving medication due to costs. Susan Collins has spent years siding with drug companies, insurance companies, and Donald Trump’s efforts to gut Mainers’ health care; I’ll always stand with Maine families.”

See local coverage of the event below:

News Center Maine: Troy Jackson campaigns for Medicare for All, lower prescription drug prices

Jackson conducted an hour-long, town hall-style conversation with former Maine CDC Director and U.S. CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah before an audience of several hundred people.
Their conversation on Monday covered a range of domestic issues with a notable focus on health care. Prompted by Shah, Jackson told the crowd he would like to expand federal government negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to lower prices for prescription drugs, as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand do.
Jackson said, “They’re happy, and they’re safe as anywhere else, and that’s what a government can do. But right now, we’re not willing to do that in this country. We’re not willing to go out and negotiate the prices of drugs, because it means less money in the health care system. For profit health care is killing this country, and that’s something I feel very strongly about.”
“It’s about prioritizing how we spend our money,” Jackson said. “It is shocking to me that we debate this issue, and people tell us, ‘You can’t do it. It’s not right.’
In the Senate, Jackson told Shah his “big swings” would include advocating for universal childcare and free school breakfast and lunch for all K-12 school kids -- the latter now Maine policy from a state legislative bill he sponsored.
“Right now, in this country, there is a group of people running that believes in all these things,” Jackson said. “It is about health care. It is about prescription drugs and there’s a big group that wants to change this, and I’m really excited to be part of that. You know, that people right now know that there’s a moment, that they know this government is not working, and they know there’s a moment right now that we can actually do things that we’ve been talking about forever but haven’t had the will do it. Well, I think people have the will right now.”
Asked by Shah about his differences with Collins, Jackson cited her support of tax cuts for high-income people and how he would use his political power differently -- “Pushing back against corporations, pushing back against Elon Musk, making sure that we have health care in this country,” he said. Jackson continued, “I’m fighting for everyday people. I’m fighting for people that need government to work for them, and she’s fighting for people that already has every break in the world that government can give and want more.”

WMTW: Troy Jackson, Nirav Shah sit to discuss healthcare, reproductive rights

Dr. Nirav Shah, who ran against Jackson for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and for Senate, is now campaigning for him. The two discussed Jackson's goal of universal healthcare and childcare. He repeated his sentiment that "if government can find money for forever wars and ICE, it can find money for universal healthcare."
"The government getting involved for negotiating prescription drug prices is the number one thing," Jackson said. Jackson also said Sen. Susan Collins' previous actions on the "One Big Beautiful Bill" hurt Mainers.
Jackson and Shah also expressed concern over the closure of labor and delivery units at rural hospitals like MaineHealth's Lincoln Hospital Miles Campus. "We were both at Miles delivery in Lincoln, that hospital. It is the fourth one I have been to that is closing. You know, they know what is coming," Jackson said to Shah.
The two also bashed Collins on her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which they said led to overturning Roe v. Wade. The two blamed Collins and said "she knew that would happen" when she cast her vote.

Portland Press Herald: Nirav Shah joins Troy Jackson at Scarborough campaign event

[…] The loudest applause on Monday night in Scarborough was for Jackson. Early on, Shah asked Jackson how it felt to take on Big Pharma during his time in the state Legislature, crediting him with being “a leader on this front.” Jackson said it felt “incredibly satisfying,” resulting in a cheer. But he noted how difficult it is to take on the for-profit healthcare system. In D.C., taking on Big Pharma will require the federal government “getting involved in negotiating (drug) prices,” Jackson said.
“We’re already spending the money for universal healthcare in this country, way over,” Jackson said, from routine appointments to emergency room bills. He later said it was “shocking” to him that so many politicians are against the measure. “It’s an embarrassment to not do that, especially if you’re on government-sponsored healthcare,” Jackson said.
Jackson also said he believes “reproductive rights is healthcare,” and his past opposition to abortion access shifted through conversations with women. Shah said he admired Jackson’s ability to change his views, saying “somebody studying an issue and then changing their position” seems rare in the modern political climate.
One of the loudest rounds of applause came when Shah turned the topic to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the agency’s facility in Scarborough.

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