Watching (often depressing) Lansing bill hearings this week created a sense of urgency. We need to celebrate legislators who actively defend our healthcare freedoms!

As you know, healthcare freedom is under perpetual attack in Lansing. It would be easy to get disgusted and write off the whole show.

Yet it has never been more important to speak up – especially for the lawmakers who represent our interests.

Proposing a bill is relatively easy, and so is talking to friendly audiences.

But speaking up on the record takes courage. Hearings tend to be tightly controlled for time and content. Getting a word in against “favored” bills is difficult. Yet, heroically, some freedom defenders manage to do so, and do it well.

We should celebrate legislators who speak out for healthcare freedom.

In fact, they deserve a medal.

In that spirit, MHF invites nominations for the “Defending Michigan Healthcare Freedom Award.”

A first mockup of the medal to be awarded. .

Qualifications:

To qualify, a nominee must be a legislator who in 2023 articulated one or more of these inherent, individual rights as it related to state health policy issues:

Life
Liberty
Property including labor and conscience

The legislator must have spoken on the record during a 2023 committee hearing to qualify.

How to find defenders of healthcare freedom on the record

Video recordings of House and Senate hearings are easy to find and watch.

Almost every committee had health-related hearings last year, but they were especially heavy in committees on Health, Human services, government operations, appropriations, and education.

To qualify for nomination, be sure the hearing took place in 2023.