I am concerned about how efforts to strengthen and expand access to health care in our country will impact the next generation. It is for that reason that I simply cannot support government-controlled health care schemes like the public option or Medicare for all. Either of these plans would have a debilitating impact on America’s health care system, leaving it less capable of ensuring access to care for all those who need it.

The communities that would be hit the hardest are the ones that already lack basic access, of which there are many north of Fountain Hills and beyond. According to a recent study, a public option could increase operating losses at hospitals serving rural and underserved communities by up to 40 percent. With so many of these facilities already operating on razor-thin margins, this could result in vital services being cut or hospitals going out of business permanently.

Either way, vulnerable Arizonans are hurt. We don’t need to overturn our entire health care system to improve it; we just need to fix the parts that are broken while expanding upon what is working well. That’s what Congress should focus on.