A lifelong resident of Southwest Michigan, Barbara Hammon is a retired critical care nurse who has served as an elected trustee of Texas Township since 2020. She’s also a member of the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party. And at age 75, she’s now a patient herself.
“Unfortunately, it’s way more fun giving shots than getting them,” she said.
Healthcare costs are an important consideration for her as she votes. They’re also important for her son, a construction worker whom she lives with and whose insurance costs are skyrocketing.
“Last year, he paid $90 a month for healthcare insurance. This year, it’s $270 a month. It’s tripled,” she said.
Hammon knows who she’s going to vote for in the November Congressional race: state Sen. Sean McCann, who represents the 19th Senate District.
“We need somebody who will stick up for us,” said Hammon, who criticized McCann’s competition, current US Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-Holland), who has “consistently voted to cut subsidies” for the ACA.
“We need to support our healthcare system, and I think that Sean will do that,” she said.
Day-to-day living costs are another concern for Hammon.
“Groceries are higher, gas is higher,” she said.
Hammon is looking for a candidate who can solve those problems for Michiganders and Americans at large. She believes McCann’s principles will help bring those goals to fruition.
“He’s thoughtful, he’s smart, and I think he has good underlying values… He will work for the people of the 4th District, for the people of Michigan, and for the people of the US,” Hammon said.
McCann’s track record for lowering costs
McCann outlined his plans for lowering the cost of living for Michigan residents in a recent interview with The ‘Gander, criticizing Trump administration policies that he said have led to recent increases.
“There’s a lot to lowering people’s costs. It does need to start at the gas pump, and the fact that this war in Iran is costing everyone thousands of dollars as fuel prices are integrated into everything else in the economy and supply chain,” he said.
As a senator, McCann believes state lawmakers have made headway on that front.
“You know, we’ve done those things here at the state level, and then you see that all get eaten up by the federal policies,” he said.
As a state senator for District 19, McCann helped to finalize a Lowering MI Cost Plan to overhaul the state’s retirement tax and pension benefits, giving retirees bigger tax refunds while withholding less income tax from their pensions. The effort saves eligible seniors as much as $1,000 a year.
McCann also worked to expand the Working Families Tax Credit by increasing the state’s match of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit from 6% to 30%—five times the amount.
He also supported the MI Tri-Share Child Care program, which reduces childcare costs for parents in the state by dividing the cost equally among parents, the state of Michigan, and employers.
His plans for Congress
If elected, McCann hopes to tackle high costs for average citizens.
“I would hope that would help us get to a better place on healthcare costs and what could be done about that. I would hope that would get us to a better place on the tariffs, and I would hope that would get us to a place where this war gets concluded somehow in Iran,” he said.
McCann spoke about a voter he met in Battle Creek during a recent campaign stop whose story about increased costs has stuck with him.
“She had been on the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which Congressman Huizenga refused to renew, and her premiums went up 300%,” he said.
“People are going to choose to go without health insurance, and that’s actually going to end up costing everyone else more when they make that choice because they might end up in the emergency room or rationing medication,” McCann added. “It’s a long-term cost driver.”
Michiganders are also feeling the financial pinch when it comes to utility bills, and McCann said he would make addressing utility costs a priority if elected. He again pointed to federal interventions, citing Trump’s move to keep the J.H. Campbell coal plant in West Olive open as a reason for increased costs. Clean energy proponents have pushed for the plant to shut down in favor of wind and solar options.
“It’s got to be shut down,” McCann said. “It was planned to be retired, and it’s costing people their electric bills. So as people debate, you know, why are my electric bills up? That’s the first thing you can point to, without question, is the operation of that plant.”
McCann voted in favor of three bills aimed at helping more families qualify for the Michigan Energy Assistance Program, and co-sponsored a bill proposing a three-year freeze on utility bills.
In the meantime, tariffs have driven up costs across the board for goods and services voters need on a daily basis. McCann criticized Trump’s solution for tariff refunds.
“Those refunds don’t translate to everyday consumers, right?” McCann said. “Their goods still cost more. The groceries still cost more for them.”
As Nov. 3 approaches, voters like Hammon hope McCann can push for federal policies that will promote better local outcomes for Michiganders.
