Brian Wrightson plans to address healthcare access in rural NEPA by expanding telehealth infrastructure, protecting reimbursement rates for rural hospitals, and pushing back against coverage cuts. He believes this issue gets lost in abstract policy conversations, even though it is deeply personal for a lot of local families. It is personal for him, too.
In 2017, Wrightson lost his oldest son in a car accident. That kind of loss changes how a person sees everything, including what it means to fight for people in hard moments. Wrightson also saw the failure of healthcare when it comes to veterans and their right to dignity. He does not approach healthcare as an abstraction; he approaches it as someone who understands what happens when systems fail families.
The healthcare access problem in rural NEPA is layered:
- Provider shortages mean people must drive long distances for care that should be available locally, or they skip it entirely.
- Rural hospitals operate on thin margins and face closure when reimbursement rates do not reflect the higher cost of serving rural populations.
- Medicaid cuts at the federal level flow directly into coverage losses for Pennsylvania families, and Harrisburg needs to be fighting back, not standing by.
- Prescription drug costs are forcing seniors to make impossible choices between their medication and their basic needs.
One of the things his broadband work has shown Wrightson is that telehealth can be a genuine lifeline when the connection exists. That is why broadband and healthcare are connected: expanding connectivity expands direct access to care. He will fight for both in Harrisburg.
