Carl Levin - United States Senator for Michigan: Issues - Health Care and Human Services

Health Care and Human Services

Michigan Agenda

A strong social safety net that is consistent with American values strengthens our nation.

Health insurance reform that passed in 2010 makes insurance more secure for families who have it, more available for those who don’t, and should be protected from attempts to weaken or repeal it.

Medicare and Social Security are vital pieces of our safety net and must be strengthened and protected.

Our strength as a nation depends on a social safety net that is consistent with American values. Such a safety net is a necessary complement to a vibrant, dynamic and growing market economy. Since coming to the Senate, I have supported programs that serve the elderly and disadvantaged and help families who are hurt by the ups and downs of the economy through no fault of their own.

I supported passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, the most significant reform of the health care system in decades. The law will make health insurance more secure and affordable for Americans who have it, and eventually provide affordable coverage for millions who now lack it. And it does so in a way that reduces the federal deficit. I oppose attempts to weaken or repeal this important legislation.

Medicare and Social Security have been vital parts of that safety net since their inception, and I will continue to oppose efforts to weaken these programs. Both programs, and especially Medicare, face the challenge of serving a growing elderly population, and I support creative solutions that can meet these fiscal challenges without depriving beneficiaries of the support they are due.

Related Issues

Senator Levin’s Record on Health Care and Human Services

Feb. 29, 2012 – Sen. Levin opposes ‘assault’ on health coverage
Sen. Levin helps defeat an amendment that would allow employers and health insurers to deny workers access to health services, saying the legislation "would grant an employer the right to substitute his moral convictions for those of his employees."
Feb. 17, 2012 – Sen. Levin supports extension of middle-class tax relief
The Senate passes legislation supported by Sen. Levin to extend for a full year a cut in federal payroll taxes and extending emergency unemployment benefits. Sen. Levin calls the extension "important tax relief that is focused on middle-class families who have suffered greatly during the Great Recession."
Nov. 21, 2011 – Levin says “supercommittee” failure shows need for compromise
In a statement after the co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction announce that they have failed to reach agreement by their statutory deadline, Sen. Levin issues a statement renewing his call for balanced deficit reduction that includes revenue as well as spending cuts and says members of Congress must compromise to avoid the devastating automatic cuts that will take effect if there is no bipartisan agreement.
Nov. 30, 2010 - Sen. Levin supports food safety improvements
Sen. Levin supports the he FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which seeks to address major deficiencies in the system that protects Americans from food-borne illnesses.