Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. With all of the chaos, corruption, and confusion emerging from Washington, D.C. — where elected officials are ripping away Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of people, women's health care is under attack, and many Michiganders have to travel across multiple counties just to get to their doctor, a Democratic Governor in Michigan will be the last line of defense against the failings at the federal level. But I don't just want to be on defense. I want to make sure Michigan knows I have their back when it comes to getting them the quality, affordable care they need.

Here's the truth: Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services is broken. The system is too complicated, too outdated, and too disconnected from the people it's supposed to serve. Before we can build something better, we have to fix what's broken. That starts with making sure people seeking resources can actually access them from our government. Just as I fixed a broken system as Secretary of State and took our elections from #34 to #2 in the nation, I'll bring the same data-driven ethic to our broken healthcare system.

But the problem runs even deeper than federal cuts. Our healthcare system has been corrupted by corporate greed, with too many decisions being made by CEOs and investors instead of doctors and patients. We need to shift the focus from profits to people. That corruption shows up in the privatization schemes and price gouging that have driven up costs for Michigan families, forcing them to make impossible decisions about when they can find a provider and what health issues they can afford to address. It shows up in sky-high prescription drug costs that prevent people from completing their treatments, and in surprise medical bills that bankrupt families who thought they were doing everything right.

As Governor, I'll fight back. I'll work to increase options for low or no-cost preventive healthcare services across Michigan, because when people can get timely treatment, they address health issues before they become emergencies — saving lives and reducing costs. I'll push for real transparency and accountability in prescription drug pricing through an independent Prescription Drug Affordability Board with the authority to review manufacturing practices and approve price increases. And I'll champion healthcare cost transparency legislation to end the surprise billing that makes even routine procedures unaffordable, while expanding medical debt relief for the thousands of Michiganders crushed by expenses they never saw coming

Read the full healthcare affordability agenda here.