Amy McGrath energized Kentuckians to defend health care gains. The next fight is just around the corner.

Amy McGrath’s campaign — and the volunteers who built it — helped defend health care for Kentuckians. The next battle is in 2019.

As a pediatrician in Lexington, I feared the worst for the families under my care when Republicans swept into power in 2016 with a promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Despondent, I wrote a letter to the Richmond Register about my concern for my patients, and an upstart congressional candidate reached out to share with me her own commitment to protect health care.

McGrath inspired a powerful grassroots movement in Central Kentucky to stand up to the political establishment and defend the ACA. While McGrath’s bid came up just short, our efforts are part of the broader national victory for affordable health care. Furthermore, she has left us mobilized and ready to fight the next critical battle to protect our coverage when it is once again on the ballot in the 2019 governor’s race.

Meeting McGrath at a Lexington coffee shop in the summer of 2017, I was immediately struck by her deep sincerity and her commitment to listen to the community as she shaped her own ideas for making Kentucky better. Though I had never before worked on a political campaign, I volunteered many hours, talking to my neighbors and raising awareness of the dire stakes for Kentuckians if Barr and the Republicans kept their grip on power and stripped them of their health insurance. I remember my nervousness the first time I canvassed for Amy, unsure of how to talk about her with strangers. I soon found, though, that the communication skills I used to work with patients and families transferred well to canvassing, and that many of the people I met while volunteering shared my excitement at the new type of campaign McGrath was running. Her infectious passion inspired unprecedented grassroots energy in the Kentucky 6th. Hundreds of volunteers, from the very young to the very old, came off the political sidelines for the first time in their lives to spread her message. A campaign staffer shared with me that volunteers knocked on more than 100,000 doors in the final campaign push. All of this amounted to an unprecedented political mobilization in a community that, for the last several election cycles, was dismissed as a safely Republican district.

To the deep disappointment of many, McGrath came up just short on Nov. 6. But our broader struggle — the national fight to defend affordable health care — was resoundingly successful. A Democratic majority in the House of Representatives will protect the Affordable Care Act, ensuring tens of thousands of Kentuckians and millions more across the country stay covered. McGrath’s fight is indelibly a part of that larger victory. Indeed, by spooking the Republicans to divert so many resources toward defending Barr, she may have sealed the fate of one or two of the districts they conceded nationally.

My friends and fellow physicians who worked so hard on this campaign should be proud of our accomplishment. While we have earned a well-deserved break, we know the next fight for health care is just around the corner. Gov. Matt Bevin has worked to systematically dismantle Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion since taking office, despite the program’s record as one of the most effective in the country. The work requirements imposed this summer could result in tens of thousands — including many working Kentuckians — losing their coverage. Bevin has even threatened to hold the coverage of all 400,000 Medicaid-expansion beneficiaries hostage while the rule remains hung up in the courts. His deeply irresponsible behavior could cost the state millions in additional health-care expenses and hurt thousands of Kentuckians.

Next year’s governor race is our chance to replace our deeply unpopular governor with a Democrat who will protect the tremendous gains in affordable coverage that have been made across the state. Bevin’s re-election campaign will square off against a newly energized base of activists committed to mobilizing our community and protecting health care. We have McGrath to thank for showing us our strength. Now it is time to rest up and prepare for the next fight.

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 4:14 PM.