Michigan Advance: Benson says as governor, there is ‘a moral responsibility’ to address Black maternal health care

Yesterday, speaking alongside medical professionals and advocates, Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson expanded on her plan to lower healthcare costs and tackle the Black maternal healthcare crisis. 

While the leading Republican candidate for governor consistently votes to raise healthcare costs and gut Medicaid, Secretary Benson is putting healthcare front and center in her campaign and is the only candidate for governor with a comprehensive plan to lower costs, improve outcomes, and confront the Black maternal healthcare crisis. 

In case you missed it… 

In print:

Michigan Advance: Benson says as governor, there is ‘a moral responsibility’ to address Black maternal health care

“As leaders in Michigan, we have a moral responsibility to fix this,” [Benson]  said. “As your next governor, I will treat and prioritize and address the Black maternal health care crisis with the urgency it demands.”

Danielle Atkinson, the executive director of Detroit-based nonprofit Mothering Justice, said that in many cases, campaign platforms around health care ignore women’s health and maternal health, especially for women of color.

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Benson and Atkinson were also joined by Janet Poole-Little, a registered nurse at the Greater Flint Health Coalition Mid-Michigan CHAP. 

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[Poole-Little] pointed to a number of the specific policies that Benson has put forward on her platform as reasons for her support — including creating an independent prescription drug affordability board and putting in place policies to require hospitals to show costs upfront.

“She is the only candidate for governor with a comprehensive agenda to bring down costs and tackle the Black maternal health care crisis,” she continued. “Don’t let anyone fool you, we can and must do both at the same time. Her plan isn’t just another set of empty promises, but a strategy based on what we in the medical field know works and doesn’t work.”

Michigan Public Radio: Democratic candidate for MI governor calls for expanding pre- and post-natal care for Black mothers

As part of her campaign for governor, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on Monday that addressing the state’s Black maternal health crisis is a key part of her plan.

“Black women in our state are nearly three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women,” said Benson.

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Benson said, as Michigan’s Secretary of State, she’s learned how she could streamline and reorganize the health department to implement her plan.

“I’ll do the same as governor to make sure every agency is as efficient and customer service oriented as our office is,” Benson told reporters in Flint.

WWMT - Kalamazoo, MI: Benson says as governor, there is ‘a moral responsibility’ to address Black maternal health care

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is setting her sights on the healthcare system in Michigan on her campaign trail.

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As part of her goals if she is elected as Michigan's next Governor, her campaign says she will help in the fight against "unfair" medical bills.

Benson hopes to create an online portal to report hospitals that don't follow the rules of a new initiative that would require hospitals to show patients their costs upfront.

Violators would then be held accountable by the Attorney General's Office, if this new plan was to come into effect.

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"As Secretary of State, I worked across the aisle to cut waste, modernize services, and save Michiganders time and money through smart efficiencies. We’ll take that same approach to maternal health care: securing funding, building coalitions, and making sure preventative care reaches every corner of Michigan. When moms get care early, we prevent costly emergencies later. This isn’t about new spending. It’s about priorities – and investing smarter to save lives and lower costs in the long run," said Benson.

On the airwaves: 

WSHM - Flint, MI: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson … was in Flint earlier this afternoon, highlighting some changes to health care that she would implement if she is elected governor. Her focus was on what she calls the Black maternal health crisis. Benson says that Black women are more likely to give birth prematurely or die from pregnancy related causes compared to their white counterparts. … If elected governor, Benson says that her goal is to address the issue by investing in culturally competent care, requiring bias and equity training, and expanding access to Medicaid covered services. Benson says she would also create an online portal to report hospitals that don't follow the rules of a new initiative that would require hospitals to show patients their costs up front.” 

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