María Elvira Salazar has consistently advocated for market-based healthcare reforms, supporting increased competition and free market solutions to reduce costs and improve quality (Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald).
Salazar has shifted her position on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), initially opposing it and calling it "socialist," but later emphasizing that she would not support repealing it without a viable, better replacement and pledging to preserve pre-existing condition protections (Floricua News, Miami Herald).
She opposes cutting or abolishing Medicaid, calling such actions "inhumane," and has indicated support for maintaining or improving Medicaid funding for those in need (Miami Herald).
Salazar voted against major Democratic healthcare legislation, including President Biden's Build Back Better reforms and the Inflation Reduction Act, both of which aimed to lower healthcare costs and prescription drug prices (Floricua News).
In Congress, Salazar has secured federal funding for local healthcare institutions, including a $7.7 million earmark for Mount Sinai Medical Center (Miami Herald).
Potential vulnerability: Salazar's changing stance on Obamacare---from opposition to supporting its retention due to its popularity in her district---has led to criticism and accusations of political opportunism (South Florida Sun-Sentinel).
2021: Salazar Opposed Build Back Better Healthcare Reforms And Later Opposed Inflation Reduction Act According to Floricua News, "Salazar's opposition to President Joe Biden's 'Build Back Better' agenda, particularly on the health care aspect of the plan, which seeks to lower costs of prescriptions[...] Salazar later voted against Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which lowered healthcare costs for Florida seniors." [Floricua News, 5/13/24]
September 2018: María Salazar Opposed Repealing ACA Without Alternative Plan According to Miami Herald, "On healthcare, Salazar said that she would only support repealing the Affordable Care Act if a viable alternative were also presented and that she did not support removing pre-existing conditions from coverage options." [Miami Herald, 9/26/18]
2018: María Elvira Salazar Se Opuso A Eliminar El Obamacare Si No Existe Una Alternativa Mejorada According to El Nuevo Herald, "Salazar, por ejemplo, se pronunció en contra de la propuesta republicana de eliminar el Obamacare, si no hay una alternativa mejorada para corregir sus problemas y garantizar los servicios que ya brinda a la población." [El Nuevo Herald, 10/4/18]
2018: Salazar Favored Replacing Obamacare Before Repeal According to Miami Herald, "Let the 'free markets' deliver healthcare, she says. Then she says that you have to have something to replace Obamacare -- a big issue in her district, where enrollment is one of the highest in the nation -- before you repeal it." [Miami Herald, 10/17/18]
2018: Salazar Supported Repealing Affordable Care Act But Keeping Pre-existing Condition Protections According to Miami Herald, "Salazar, who is running to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in Florida's 27th Congressional district, said she wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act but maintain the federal law's protections for patients with pre-existing conditions." [Miami Herald, 11/2/18]
2018: Salazar Denied Supporting Medicaid Cuts Or Abolishment According to Miami Herald, 'Salazar, who held a press conference at her attorney's office in Miami on Friday, said the flier's claim that she supports stripping money from Medicaid was also false." [Miami Herald, 11/2/18]
2018: Salazar Called Abolishing Medicaid 'Inhumane' According to Miami Herald, 'Salazar said. "I mean, that would be inhumane."' [Miami Herald, 11/2/18]
2018: Salazar Clarified Medicaid And Healthcare Positions According to Miami Herald, '"We don't want to cut funding," Salazar added. "We want to have a better Medicaid and help everybody that needs it. And we want to keep the [coverage for] pre-existing conditions and we want to give a better healthcare coverage to people at a lower price."' [Miami Herald, 11/2/18]
2018: Salazar Advocated Cost-effective Healthcare Solutions According to Miami Herald, "Salazar's campaign website promises 'cost-effective and patient-centered solutions' by allowing the purchase of health insurance across state lines and repealing 'needless regulation.'" [Miami Herald, 11/2/18]
October 2020: María Elvira Salazar Stated Support For Keeping Obamacare With Improvements According to Miami Herald, "Salazar, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala, recently used the phrase, 'If you like your Obamacare, you can keep it,' during a TV interview and did so again in an interview with the Miami Herald editorial board on Tuesday. [...] 'Eliminating without giving something in exchange? It's impossible,' Salazar said. 'We've got to work on finding something better.'" [Miami Herald, 10/14/20]
2020: María Elvira Salazar Dijo Que No Apoyó La Derogación De Obamacare According to El Nuevo Herald, "Y Salazar, quien se enfrenta a la representante demócrata Donna Shalala, recientemente utilizó la frase, 'Si te gusta tu Obamacare, puedes quedarte con él,' durante una entrevista televisiva y lo hizo nuevamente en una entrevista con la junta editorial del Miami Herald el martes." [El Nuevo Herald, 10/14/20]
2020: Salazar Calificó Como Imposible Eliminar Obamacare Sin Sustituto According to El Nuevo Herald, '¿Eliminarlo sin entregar algo a cambio? Es imposible', dijo Salazar. 'Tenemos que trabajar para encontrar algo mejor.' [El Nuevo Herald, 10/14/20]
2020: Salazar No Quiso Comentar Sobre La Demanda Contra Obamacare According to El Nuevo Herald, 'Salazar no quiso decir si está de acuerdo con la demanda de Obamacare, y señaló que no ha visto el litigio que comenzó en el 2018 cuando 20 estados demandaron al gobierno federal.' [El Nuevo Herald, 10/14/20]
2020: Salazar Defendió La Posibilidad De Mantener Obamacare Para Quienes Lo Prefieran According to El Nuevo Herald, 'La ley del país es que, si tienes un seguro llamado Obamacare, no te lo pueden quitar', dijo Salazar. 'Creo que, si te gusta tu Obamacare, puedes quedártelo.' [El Nuevo Herald, 10/14/20]
2020: Salazar Stated She Would Not Vote To Repeal Obamacare But Supported More Options According to El Nuevo Herald, "Salazar dijo que 'a quienes les gusta su Obamacare que se queden con este', pero que quiere que haya opciones para comprar seguros más baratos, lo que se deriva de la competencia. 'No votaría por quitar Obamacare', afirmó." [El Nuevo Herald, 10/21/20]
2020: Maria Elvira Salazar Stated She Would Not Eliminate Obamacare Without A Replacement According to Miami Herald, 'In recent weeks, Salazar has gone on record as saying, "if you like your Obamacare, you can keep it," adding that she does not support eliminating the program without a replacement plan.' [Miami Herald, 10/22/20]
2020: Miami Herald Reported Salazar Stated She Does Not Support Obamacare Repeal Without Replacement According to Miami Herald, "Unlike many Republicans, she said she does not support repealing Obamacare without a replacement ready to go. Ongoing efforts to repeal Obamacare through the courts will be a major issue for her constituents, over 100,000 of whom obtain their insurance through the Affordable Care Act." [Miami Herald, 11/3/20]
2020: María Elvira Salazar Pledged Not To Vote To Repeal Obamacare According to El Nuevo Herald, "Salazar [...] prometió que no votaría por quitar el Obamacare, apartándose así de los republicanos que han batallado por eliminar el programa sin proponer un sustituto." [El Nuevo Herald (Miami, Florida), 11/3/20]
2020: South Florida Sun-Sentinel Noted María Elvira Salazar Defended Obamacare Despite Criticizing Democrats According to an opinion piece in South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "She had the unmitigated brass to call Shalala and Democrats socialistas because of policies like Obamacare; then she turned around and told voters Obamacare was OK because she knew damn well how popular it is with South Floridians --- especially with the Cubans and other Latinos in her district to whom she was most loudly preaching the ¡Demócratas-son-socialistas! propaganda." [South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 11/9/20]
October 2020: María Elvira Salazar Advocated More Market-Based Competition In Healthcare According to Miami Herald, "Salazar offered even fewer specifics than Gimenez on her healthcare plan, arguing only that more market-based competition in the healthcare field is good for consumers." [Miami Herald, 10/14/20]
2020: María Elvira Salazar Advocated For Competition In Health Insurance According to El Nuevo Herald, "Asimismo, destacó la importancia de la competencia en la oferta de seguros de salud, para que las personas puedan comprar el más asequible." [El Nuevo Herald (Miami, Florida), 11/3/20]
Salazar Secured $7.7 Million For Mount Sinai Medical Center In 2022 According to Miami Herald, "Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach will receive roughly $7.7 million through an earmark from freshman Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar." [Miami Herald, 3/11/22]
2020: Salazar Propuso Competencia De Mercado Para Mejorar Atención Médica According to El Nuevo Herald, 'Salazar ofreció incluso menos detalles que Giménez sobre su plan de atención médica, argumentando solamente que una mayor competencia con base en el mercado en el campo de la atención médica es favorable para los consumidores.' [El Nuevo Herald, 10/14/20]
Salazar Changed Position On Obamacare After Calling It Socialist According to Floricua News, "Salazar called former Rep. Donna Shalala and Democrats socialists because of policies like the Affordable Care Act [...] But after realizing the plan is very popular with South Floridians -- especially with Latinos in her district -- she turned around and told voters that Obamacare was 'OK.'" [Floricua News, 5/13/24]
September 2018: María Salazar Advocated For Market Competition In Healthcare According to Miami Herald, "She said the best way to reduce premiums was to 'allow the forces of the free market to invade' the healthcare industry. 'We have a mess in the healthcare industry,' she said. 'I believe competition is the mother of good quality.'" [Miami Herald, 9/26/18]
2018: María Elvira Salazar Propuso Un Grupo Bipartidista Para Reformar El Sistema De Salud According to El Nuevo Herald, "La propuesta de Salazar, sin embargo, consiste en crear una especie de grupo de expertos bipartidistas que buscarían un plan viable que opere haciendo uso de las fuerzas del libre mercado." [El Nuevo Herald, 10/4/18]
October 2018: Salazar Supported Reforming Health Laws To Increase Free Market Competition According to El Nuevo Herald, "Salazar, por su parte, dijo que hay reformar las leyes para permitir que haya más competencia dentro del sector. 'El gobierno no es el que soluciona, el que soluciona son las fuerzas del libre mercado.'" [El Nuevo Herald, 10/13/18]
2018: Miami Herald Editorial Board Reported Maria Elvira Salazar Opposed Obamacare According to an editorial published in Miami Herald, "Salazar says that Obamacare does not work and that, 'The forces of capitalism should invade the system.'" [Editorial - Miami Herald, 10/14/18]
October 2020: María Elvira Salazar Declined To State A Position On Ongoing Obamacare Lawsuit According to Miami Herald, "Salazar would not say whether she agrees with the Obamacare lawsuit, saying she hasn't seen the litigation that began in 2018 when 20 states sued the federal government. [...] 'I am going to be a member of Congress. I'm not the presidency and I'm not in the courts,' Salazar said. 'I have no comment right now because I haven't seen the lawsuit. Once I'm in Congress and I see all the sides, then I can answer that question intelligently.'" [Miami Herald, 10/14/20]
2020: Maria Elvira Salazar Did Not Comment On Trump Administration Obamacare Lawsuit According to Miami Herald, 'Salazar would not say whether she agrees with the Trump administration's Obamacare lawsuit, saying she hasn't seen the litigation that began in 2018 when 20 states sued the federal government.' [Miami Herald, 10/22/20]
2018: Salazar Highlighted Healthcare Affordability As A Priority Issue For Voters According to El Nuevo Herald, "La gente tiene que tener la posibilidad de comprar un seguro de salud que no le rompa el bolsillo, que le dé buen servicio, con el que pueda comprar las medicinas", dijo sobre una de las preocupaciones más urgentes. [El Nuevo Herald (Miami, Florida), 2/9/18]
2018: Miami Herald Editorial Board Reported Maria Elvira Salazar Supported Preserving Pre-existing Condition Coverage According to an editorial published in Miami Herald, "Both candidates would preserve coverage of pre-existing conditions." [Editorial - Miami Herald, 10/14/18]