Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds launched his “Defending The Florida Dream” statewide tour on Monday in The Villages.
Donalds told the approximately 45 Villagers in attendance at the Hotel Eastport that his mission is to present “a roadmap for protecting the Florida Dream and making it attainable for the next generation.” On this stop of his tour he concentrated on the high cost of medical care.
“One thing I have learned is that doctors are frustrated and patients are frustrated with the state of healthcare,” he said.
He promised to take steps as governor to reform the system to make quality and affordable healthcare available to all Floridians. He announced two key reforms that he called the Your Doctor Your price initiative which would require that every hospital and provider post the price of the 20 most common services that they provide and require real transparency on the cost of services and medications. These reforms would focus on the rising costs of healthcare which impact those living on a fixed income.
Villager Tommy Jamieson was receptive to Donalds’ emphasis on affordability to keep Florida a state people want to live in. He expressed support for Donalds’ plans to make healthcare and drug costs more affordable. Jamieson believes that Donalds is the front runner in the race to succeed Gov. DeSantis as he is leading in the polls. The most recent poll by Emerson College Polling shows Donalds with 46 percent support while all other contenders show only single-digit support. Donalds has been endorsed by President Trump.