Michigan Families for Fair Care today debuted a new digital ad featuring Kathy, a community college professor and Macomb County resident living with HIV, whose access to life-saving health care depends on coverage that Congressman John James voted to put at risk. The ad, “Kathy” shows the direct consequences of James’s votes in Congress, which included historic cuts to Medicaid and failed to restore the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, causing monthly coverage costs to more than double for thousands of families across Michigan’s 10th district.
Kathy is one of many MI-10 residents who rely on affordable health care access to manage serious, ongoing health conditions. For people living with HIV, a lapse in coverage is not an inconvenience, it is a threat to their lives. When Republicans in Congress let premium tax credits expire, people like Kathy were left facing budget-breaking premiums and forced to make an impossible choice between keeping their coverage and covering other basic needs. After the Republican Tax Law passed, health cost increases will follow, further straining everyone’s budgets. Congressman James cast that vote and has offered no plan to address the harm it will cause to his own constituents, or why the priority was tax breaks for billionaires.
"I looked forward to retiring soon, but now that seems like a dream that has come and gone. When you’ve got a limited budget, you have to prioritize the essentials, but suddenly the price of those essentials double and no one is around to give you an explanation on how you’re supposed to afford what you can’t like without, like food and health insurance." said Kathy, community college professor, and Congressman John James’ constituent. “So I’ve had to manage by turning down the heat, not getting everything I need from the grocery store, and doing what I can to make sure I can keep affording my medications. Congressman James can fix this, but he refuses to and he just expects us to live with his decision. Many of us can’t.”
Transcript of "Kathy" below:
KATHY: “I was looking forward to retiring this year. And having more time to paint. But now I’m not sure I can afford to.
I’ve lived with HIV my entire adult life and my health insurance is the only reason I’m still alive. I would not be able to afford the medication I need to survive without it.
Congressman John James voted to increase health care costs to give tax credits to billionaires. I’ve already been turning down the water heater just to save money.
I wish John James would get the picture. He needs to protect Michiganders, not billionaires.”
