Rep. Rashida Tlaib, State Rep. Donavan McKinney Join Community Members And Advocates To Lower Health Care Costs and Reopen The Government

Today, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), State Representative Donavan McKinney (HD-11), and Macomb County community members joined Michigan Families for Fair Care for a virtual press briefing drawing attention to the negative impact that the federal government shutdown is having on families, veterans, workers, and others who are relying on Medicaid and increasing health care costs. The panelists spoke about the urgent need to reopen the government, fund essential services, and protect access to health care that millions of people across the country rely on.

The health care tax credits will expire soon, which would result in annual premium payments increasing by 114% for enrolled participants across the country. Without health care tax credits, 64,000 Michiganders will see the cost of their health care premiums skyrocket, by an average of more than $700 dollars per month.

The full briefing can be seen here.

Below are some highlights from the briefing:

“We know healthcare is a human right. It's not a privilege. We need to defend health care for millions of our neighbors across the country,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12). “Our health care system is already broken. It's already inhumane, so we cannot use as much leverage as possible to push back against many of my colleagues who want to allow thousands of working class neighbors, low-income neighbors to die every single day because they're being thrown off of Medicaid in the Affordable Care Act. We know that these are real life consequences right now in our health care system, in the crisis that we see. So we must, must continue to come together.”

“We’ve got to keep fighting every single day to ensure that healthcare is protected, to ensure that SNAP benefits, food assistance, things that are impacting our community, like Social Security are protected for our most elderly and our most vulnerable,” said state Rep. Donavan McKinney (HD-11). “This is about our families and children. They cannot afford anything less from us, but our dedication and support.” 

“As a veteran and former federal worker, I know what it means to serve this country, and I know what harms cause when political gains leave us without pay or care,” said Joel Rutherford, a military veteran, former federal employee, and Warren resident. “The shutdown hurts those who serve and those who are serving benefits, and forces military families to go without the support they've earned. And that, to me, is totally unacceptable, especially when it seems like one group is more worried about tax cuts for billionaires than they are about taking care of working people.” 

“This is affecting everyone with cancer or with disabilities. I am affected by this 100%,” said Rebecca Zainos, community volunteer and Warren resident. “I will walk and walk for everyone else, speak for others and for myself. We need to make a change. Let's all stand together and united.”

“Instead of listening to his constituents and finding a way to reopen the government and protect access to health care, Congressman John James appears to be absent from the job he was elected to do,” said Steve Lawson, Executive Director of Michigan Families For Fair Care. “At a time when Michiganders are facing increasingly dire cuts to essential services and earned benefits, John James has not demonstrated the leadership we desperately need. It’s time he and Republicans support plans to reverse their harmful health care cuts, prevent health care costs from rising even more, and reopen the government.”