Kamala Harris’ policy priorities are focused on making healthcare more affordable for Michiganders

As VP, Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote that helped make healthcare more affordable for Michiganders. If elected president, her policy plans include tackling prescription drug prices and the medical debt crisis.

Susan Robertson, 74, from Lansing hoped to get vaccinated against shingles after suffering from a painful episode in 2017. But she couldn’t afford the $400 copay – that is, until the Biden-Harris administration passed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. 

The law makes vaccines for shingles, RSV, and other diseases free for Medicare beneficiaries like Robertson. 

“I’m not gambling on getting shingles again,” she said. “I absolutely feel we’re going in the right direction.”

Like Robertson, Michiganders can now find more affordable and accessible health care coverage thanks to two pieces of legislation passed by the Biden-Harris administration. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) reduced costs for prescription drugs, made vaccines free for seniors on Medicare, lowered the cost of Affordable Care Act health care premiums, and more. 

How the Inflation Reduction Act could help your family

The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022 over fierce opposition from Congressional Republicans, has helped Michiganders in several ways. The law:

• Capped insulin costs at $35 per month for an estimated 122,000 seniors on Medicare. 
• Extended generous Affordable Care Act subsidies that were set to expire, allowing some 323,000 Michiganders to keep their health insurance.
• Will cap Medicare recipients out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year starting in 2025, saving 673,000 seniors in Michigan an average of $356 per year.
• Will lower costs for 348,000 Michigan seniors who take one of 10 medications for heart failure, blood clots, diabetes and other ailments, thanks to a provision authorizing Medicare to negotiate prices for expensive drugs with pharmaceutical companies.

Benefits of the American Rescue Plan

The Inflation Reduction Act isn’t the only healthcare bill the Biden-Harris administration passed into law.

The American Rescue Plan Act was passed in 2021, without any Republican votes. It built on the Affordable Care Act to help Americans access necessary health care. Some 304,000 Michiganders with marketplace coverage were able to continue saving an average of $790 per year under the law, thanks to the subsidies provided under the law (and later reauthorized under the Inflation Reduction Act).

Thanks to these laws and their role in reducing premium costs, a record 418,100 Michiganders got health care coverage through ACA’s HealthCare.gov exchange during the 2024 open enrollment period.

Looking ahead to a possible Kamala Harris presidency

Healthcare has long been a high priority for Harris, who cast the tie-breaking votes on both the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, ensuring they became law. Throughout her career, she has taken on pharmaceutical companies and other large corporate interests. 

“When I was attorney general of California, I met with countless families who were often quietly suffering because they or a loved one could not afford the medication they needed and were prescribed,” Harris said in a speech last year. “I investigated drugmakers that tried to stop production of cheaper, generic versions of their drugs, and we held them accountable … every person, not just the wealthy or well-connected, [will have] the opportunity to thrive and can live a life of dignity after they retire.”

Now, as she runs for president, Harris wants to build off the successes of the Inflation Reduction Act by expanding the $35 monthly insulin cap and the $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs so that they apply to all Americans–not just seniors on Medicare. She’s also proposed accelerating Medicare’s drug negotiations and broadening the number of drugs eligible to be negotiated.

Harris has further called for eliminating medical debt for millions of Americans and finalizing a proposed federal rule that would ban unpaid medical bills from affecting patients’ credit scores. Barring medical bills from appearing on credit reports would help tens of millions of Americans who have medical debt by eliminating information that can depress their scores, and therefore make it more difficult for them to get a job, rent an apartment, or secure a car loan.

Her plan would build off recent successes in Michigan, which has already used ARPA funds to eliminate $900 million in medical debt for up to 280,000 residents.

Harris will also likely have the chance to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies included in the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act that are set to expire at the end of 2025.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly suggested he might again try to repeal the Affordable Care Act and has opposed the Inflation Reduction Act and its healthcare measures. 

Learn More 

To learn more about Michigan health care coverage for you and your family, visit:  https://www.michigan.gov/difs/consumers/insurance/health-insurance.