Health Care is a Right
Provide Affordable Care
Health care is a right, and it shouldn’t be decided based on income, employment, or pre-existing conditions. Our current health insurance system is difficult to navigate and leaves too many families suffering from high costs and lack of coverage. We must move towards a system that works for more Michiganders, providing high quality and affordable health care for all.
Pass the MI Health Care Bill of Rights
In 2017, Michigan Republicans chose to prioritize insurance company profits over their residents’ health and well-being when they did not support the MI Health Care Bill of Rights. This resolution sought to protect people with pre-existing conditions, prevent exorbitant insurance hikes, and provide essential health benefits for services from pediatric care to substance use disorder services. I will strongly support and uphold the goals of this resolution. Our patients must come first.
The Opioid Crisis
Michigan needs to take strong steps to combat the opioid epidemic. From 1999 to 2016, the total number of overdose deaths involving any type of opioid increased to 1,689—more than 17 times in Michigan. I support Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order to create the Michigan Opioids Task Force, bringing together departments from the government to fight the opioid crisis. The Task Force is catalyzing action to prevent opioid misuse, increase access to treatment, and reduce the harm caused by substance use. We need to take bold action to stop this crisis now.
Stand with Our Nurses
Nurses are the bedrock of health care—they work tirelessly to provide hands-on care for patients from all walks of life. My mom was a Registered Nurse and retired after more than 35 years of service; I have seen first hand the impact our nurses have on the lives of their patients. Unfortunately, because our nurses are both physically and emotionally overworked, they often cannot give patients the skilled care they need. I support the bipartisan Safe Patient Care Act, which sets reasonable patient-to-nurse ratios, curbs forced overtime after long shifts, and enforces other measures that guarantee safe patient care. We must ensure that our nurses work in a safe, sustainable environment.
Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans find prescription drugs difficult to afford. No one should have to choose between taking care of their health and putting food on their table. We must hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for reducing costs and increasing access to prescription drugs. I support the Health Over Profits for Everyone (HOPE) plan that the Michigan House Democrats just introduced, which aims to lower out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.
Invest in Maternal and Prenatal Health Care
Providing affordable and accessible health care in Michigan includes maternal and prenatal health care. While infant mortality rates have fallen over time, there still exist disparities in infant mortality, especially for women of color. We must support women through their pregnancy financially and emotionally, and we must provide child care for their newborns and infants. I will invest in prenatal care to ensure fewer problems with pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the postpartum period. We need to support the mothers and children of Michigan.
Build a Comprehensive Mental Health Care System in Michigan
The disjointed, privatized mental health care facilities we have now are not working. Nearly 500,000 Michigan adults suffer from serious mental illness, yet only half of them receive treatment for their conditions due to high costs and stigma. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health, and it is time we give mental health the attention it needs. We need to build a comprehensive, affordable, and public mental health care system in Michigan.
Protect Healthy Michigan
The Healthy Michigan program has expanded life-saving health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of people in Michigan, but a recent state law will soon require recipients to report employment or an equivalent activity to receive health care benefits. We cannot allow this harmful work requirements policy to inhibit Michiganders from receiving the coverage and economic security they deserve. We must protect Healthy Michigan.
“Every single Michigan family should have equal access to high quality and affordable health care.”
