John,

During the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Republicans have cancelled votes and refused to show up to work, avoiding necessary negotiations to reopen the government. But this week, the Senate passed a deal to end the government shutdown, which is heading to the House of Representatives for a vote today.

Unfortunately, this bill fails to prevent health insurance costs from skyrocketing for over 20 million Americans—including over half a million people in my state of Michigan.

If Congress lets the Affordable Care Act subsidies expire at the end of 2025, millions of Americans will be unable to afford health insurance, and many will die.

I’ve been hearing from constituents about how this disastrous move would impact them, including people who’ve said: “We are living paycheck to paycheck… I cannot afford to pay any increase in premiums,” and “I had to file bankruptcy due to medical bills. I just had two transplants and fear losing my healthcare.”

I will keep fighting to renew these essential subsidies, reverse MAGA’s healthcare cuts, and ensure universal healthcare for all Americans.

In the meantime, if you’re unable to afford the healthcare you need, I want to share resources to help you find more affordable healthcare, which you can also share with loved ones in need:

• Type in your zip code at https://findhelp.org/ to find low-cost healthcare near you and potential assistance with medical bills.

• Check out the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics’ list of free or low-cost clinics near you.

• Look up community health centers near you that provide free or income-based care.

• Call 211 or go to https://www.211.org/get-help/i-need-help-paying-my-bills for assistance with healthcare, housing, food, and other expenses.

• See the Patient Advocate Foundation Co-Pay Relief Program for support paying for prescriptions and co-pays.

• See if there are mobile pop-up clinics near you offering free medical, dental, and vision care at https://www.ramusa.org/schedule.

• Use https://www.goodrx.com’s coupons for discounts on prescriptions. You can also get a free trial to check out GoodRx’s membership program with lower cost telehealth visits here.

• Check out the Direct Primary Care mapper to find doctors near you who offer the option to pay them a set monthly fee for access to them and their services.

• A Planned Parenthood near you may offer sliding-scale preventative care such as annual exams, vaccines, and screenings for cancer or STIs.

• Find free or low-cost eye exams and support with prescription glasses at https://new-eyes.org/application. You can also find lower cost glasses at websites such as https://www.zennioptical.com or https://www.firmoo.com/z/buy-one-get-one-free.html.

• You can also find eye care or glasses at Sam’s Club and Costco, and you may find discounted dental or vision services at nearby dental schools or student eye institutes.

Additionally, I want to share resources for food and other essential needs.

Although SNAP and WIC payments should return when the government re-opens, Trump’s Big Budget Betrayal from earlier this year made huge cuts to SNAP that will continue impacting families across the country. You may find these links helpful, or perhaps you know someone you can share this with:

• Type your zip code into findhelp.org for a map of local food pantries and resources to help pay for transit, housing, and healthcare.

• Find a diaper bank providing free diapers near you: https://nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/member-directory.

• Access or donate baby formula at https://freeformula.exchange.

• Find a nearby community fridge or mini food pantry that’s accessible to all.

• Buy low-cost surplus food from local grocery stores and restaurants through the Too Good to Go app, the Gopuff app (see here for info about SNAP recipients getting $50 of free groceries), and the Flashfood app.

• And if you’re over 65 or disabled on Medicaid or Medicare, you may be eligible for free home-delivered meals with https://www.momsmeals.com/. See if you qualify here.

We’ll keep fighting together to guarantee food, healthcare, and housing as human rights.

Always serving you,

Rashida