Elder and long-term care

We're living longer, the cost of healthcare is going up, but our savings and pensions are getting smaller. Too many elders have to spend their entire life savings on long-term care in retirement, and then family has to pitch in. For some, the only option is to sell everything you own until your resources are little enough to qualify for Medicaid.

This isn't right. Ideally, we're all going to be seniors and need long-term care one day. Let's create a system that takes care of everyone's needs with dignity. 

We're working to create a long-term care safety net program in Michigan. This program will help bear the costs of quality long-term care, keep seniors in their homes longer and ensure that care workers earn a living wage.

Child care

The cost of quality child care is simply unrealistic for working families. Many parents have to pay $10,000 or more per year – on minimum wage, that's more than half your paycheck!

As a consequence, low-income parents are left with a lot of bad options: stringing together child care day-by-day with help from relatives and neighbors or using unlicensed facilities.

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We can do better. We're fighting to increase funding for low-income child care programs, so that every family has access to safe, quality child care.

Health care

Health care is a human right, not a privilege for those who can afford it. That's why we've been fighting to defend and expand the Affordable Care Act and are working toward universal health care. The ACA was a good start, and provides important protections, like coverage for pre-existing conditions.

But it's not enough. We need to work toward a universal system where everyone can get the care they need and profits for private companies don't come before your health.

Safety net

We're all going to have hard times and need a little help. But lawmakers have been cutting our safety net programs for decades, leaving families without anything to fall back on.

We're working to ensure that safety net programs like food stamps, Medicaid, temporary aid for needy families and affordable housing subsidies stay intact.