Issues

The American healthcare system just doesn't work for regular people. Elijah believes that healthcare is a human right, and in Congress, he will fight for that. Here's how.

Medicare for All

In the wealthiest country in the world, no one should go bankrupt or die because they can’t afford healthcare. Insurance companies and middlemen shouldn’t get to decide who lives or dies. That’s why in Congress, Elijah will cosponsor Medicare for All.

Cancel Medical Debt

You shouldn’t go bankrupt for going to the doctor. In Congress, Elijah Manley will lead the charge on cancelling all medical debt. Additionally, hospitals charge you one price, and insurance companies charge you another. Your hospital bills are often a moving target, which isn’t fair. Elijah Manley supports removing medical debt from credit reports and will work with stakeholders to codify this into law.

Cap Prescription Drug CostS

Elijah Manley supports limiting out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses for families to $2,000 a year. Elijah also supports imposing a federal cap on what big Pharma can charge for life-saving prescription drug costs, including insulin, blood thinners, and Alzheimer’s medicine.

Expand Medicaid

In Florida's 20th Congressional District, 17.1% of residents are uninsured, mostly because Florida has continuously refused to expand Medicaid. In District 20, 150,000 people are on Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid is vital to provide healthcare for low-income individuals. We don’t have universal healthcare, but until we get there, we need Governors to accept federal medicaid dollars. When they don’t, Elijah will support workaround legislation that forces them to.

Importation of Cheaper Prescription Drugs

If we can't break big Pharma's grip domestically, Elijah will support bipartisan federal legislation to allow for the safe importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from countries like Canada. You shouldn't pay 10x more for the same drug.

More Hospitals, More Clinics

District 20 needs more hospitals and more clinics, especially in our low-income and minority communities. Elijah renews his long-held call for federal and state investment in community health clinics, aiming for one healthcare facility in every zip code.

Home Healthcare for Seniors

Our seniors have spent their lives working hard for us, it's time for us to do the same for them. They deserve to live with dignity, not be neglected. Elijah will work to expand home care services and to raise wages and benefits for care workers. Manley will also support a major federal investment in home healthcare, allowing more people to get the education and training they need to get jobs in this field.

Reproductive Healthcare

Elijah Manley supports a woman’s right to make choices regarding her body and her reproductive care. In Congress, he will oppose a national abortion ban, vehemently oppose any attempt to limit reproductive rights, and work to Codify Roe. Elijah will also support legislation to combat black women’s maternal health crisis.

Black Men’s Health

In Congress, Elijah Manley will work to establish a National Black Men’s Health Initiative and a White House Office of Black Men's Health. The initiative will support a dedicated federal program to research and eliminate racial disparities in healthcare outcomes for black men, with a focus on chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and mental health.

We need expanded mental health access, funding for culturally competent community-based clinics, more black males in mental health professions through scholarships, training, and more educational opportunities, and an end to the stigmatization of mental health through public education and PR campaigns.

Furthermore, in Congress, Elijah Manley will support efforts to require cultural-competency training in the healthcare and medicine industries to root out racial biases. Through Elijah’s legislation, a federal entity will be created allowing patients to report incidents of medical racism and bias and empowering that federal agency to act.

The issue of black men’s health isn’t just a healthcare issue, it’s an economic one as well. Additional economic opportunities, jobs, funding for entrepreneurship, innovation, and black men’s small business ideas will foster healthy minds and healthy bodies, too. The Democratic Party has continued to take black men’s health issues for granted. Black families deserve better.