One of the few candidates to emphasize housing in his campaign, Julián Castro has focused workplace and social programs. He supports Medicare for All with a private option for workers who receive high levels of coverage from their place of employment. Castro also intends to cover all mental health care and specialized programs within M4A, and is additionally campaigning to improve access to rural and underserved communities.

Castro started a scene in the September debate by accusing Joe Biden of contradicting himself, and arguing his health care plan would cover significantly more Americans than Biden’s due to the enrollment method. But a Politifact analysis argues the distinction would not greatly impact the number of people enrolled. 

Out of the $7,503,011 that Castro has raised so far in the 2020 elections:

  • $240,280 has been linked to the Health sector
  • $153,617 has been linked to health professionals
  • $47,788 has been linked to hospitals/nursing homes
  • Community Family Medicine is one of his top contributors, donating $10,375
[Source: OpenSecrets]

 

His Record

In a somewhat related case, Castro has been criticized for social welfare services provided during his tenure as HUD Secretary. The Center for Popular Democracy demonstrated that 98% of mortgages through the Distressed Asset Stabilization Program went to Wall Street at deep cuts, rather than homeowners seeking relief.

From His Website

“Health care is a human right. In the wealthiest nation on Earth, we will finally guarantee high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

  • “Strengthen Medicare for those who have it, and expand it to achieve universal healthcare coverage by including all Americans within the program.
  • “End the distinction between physical and mental health and require all insurance plans and publicly-run programs to cover mental healthcare
  • “Lower prescription drug costs
  • “Invest in rural and underserved communities to expand health care access
  • “Repeal the Hyde Amendment to ensure publicly-run healthcare programs can provide comprehensive reproductive health care services, including abortion and eliminate unnecessary restrictions on access to abortion care.
  • “Implement strong nondiscrimination protections for the provision of health services to ensure all people have access to high-quality affordable healthcare.”