00:00Someone needs to tell Trump and Bailey, killing off your own citizens isn't efficient, it's
00:06just cruel.
00:08Allowing people to die of measles because you have some unscientific ideological opposition
00:13to lifesaving vaccines isn't efficient.
00:17Well thank you so much Janine, it really is great to see all of you, good afternoon.
00:21I want to also say about Janine that really the work that you do is so truly vital to
00:32advance black maternal health in Illinois and I am forever grateful for your leadership.
00:40Thank you also to all the champions that are here behind me including Dr. Tripti Kataria
00:47from the Illinois State Medical Society, Dr. Karen Pierce from Mental Health Pack, Snehal
00:54Bavsar from the Illinois Pharmacists Association, Dr. Katie Sisko from Planned Parenthood Illinois
01:01Action.
01:02I want you to know Christian and I are truly humbled to have your support in this endeavor.
01:07As governor, I fight every day to ensure that Illinois workers can earn a fair wage and have
01:13the right to join a union, that families can afford groceries, that kids can get a world
01:18class public education.
01:20But here's the thing, none of those things matter if you're not in good health.
01:26None of those things matter if you can't afford the medical care that you need.
01:31Unfortunately that's the reality for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans and millions of Americans.
01:38There are too many people in public office or running for office who have easy access to
01:44good health care and who don't give a hoot about whether anyone else does.
01:50Let's start with the most obvious one, specifically the one occupying the White House right now.
01:55Just like the White House ballroom, Donald Trump has bulldozed the American health care system.
02:01He cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid, $1 trillion, taking health care coverage away
02:09from 8 million Americans, he's throwing 2.4 million people off the Affordable Care Act,
02:16and he has zeroed out grants for agencies doing crucial medical research.
02:21In sum, he has plunged our public health system into a true crisis.
02:26And by the way, guess who's been cheering him on and plans to bring Doge to Illinois?
02:32My opponent, Darren Bailey.
02:35Someone needs to tell Trump and Bailey, killing off your own citizens isn't efficient, it's
02:41just cruel.
02:42Allowing people to die of measles because you have some unscientific ideological opposition
02:48to life-saving vaccines isn't efficient, it's cruel.
02:53Letting women die of sepsis because routine medical procedures are now illegal isn't efficient,
03:01it is cruel.
03:03And then there are the health insurance companies and the corporate executives who look at a
03:07sick person and they pull out a calculator.
03:10They want to see how much money they can save to increase profitability.
03:15That is their process.
03:16And let's not forget the MAGA Republican members of Congress who, instead of acting on the basic
03:22human instinct to help people overcome illness, look instead to give tax cuts to the wealthiest
03:29people and the biggest corporations.
03:32They need to get out and listen to real people.
03:35They need to hear from the people at the heart of this issue.
03:38The people sitting in the exam rooms, the people who actually deserve a say here, the patients
03:45and the providers.
03:47I sought out their perspectives, not those of the greedy executives lining Trump's pockets.
03:53I have seen the ways that the system is failing working families and the most vulnerable.
03:59I heard from the middle-aged widow whose life-saving medication is so expensive that she now struggles
04:05to afford groceries for herself and her dog, her only companion.
04:10And the young mother whose type 1 diabetes medication is hard to come by in her rural town.
04:17And the parents who can't afford medical, excuse me, mental health treatment for their son who
04:23is suffering from bipolar disorder.
04:26They're just three of the millions of people who are, well, living with a healthcare system
04:33that is failing.
04:34Now, as much as I wish I could, I can't force Donald Trump to develop a conscience or a moral
04:41compass.
04:41What I can do, though, is make Illinois a place where providers can do their jobs and patients
04:47can afford their care.
04:49And I'm very proud to say that with the partnership of the extraordinary organizations here today,
04:54we are making enormous strides.
04:58In Illinois, we've banned prior authorization for mental health and psychiatric care so that
05:03the patients needing emergency care don't have to wait for a corporate suit hundreds of
05:08miles away to sign off.
05:11And we capped insulin at $35 a month, inhalers at $25 a month, and we eliminated more than
05:18$2 billion in medical debt in Illinois.
05:21We guaranteed paid leave for workers for any reason, not just if you're sick.
05:26And we cracked down on predatory PBMs, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs.
05:32We enshrined the right to reproductive care into Illinois state law.
05:37We enacted the Birth Equity Initiative to take on the unacceptable racial disparities in maternal
05:44mortality.
05:45Look, I'm really proud of what we've achieved together.
05:48And at the same time, I'm not under any illusions that we've fixed the system.
05:53There is a whole lot more work left to do, and I'm ready to do it.
05:57So I'm making a promise to you today.
06:00If Christian Mitchell and I have the privilege of serving you as your lieutenant governor and
06:05governor, we're going to keep up the fight.
06:08We're going to keep putting power where it belongs, in the hands of patients and providers.
06:12We won't let Darren Bailey or Donald Trump or the MAGA extremists win the battle against
06:18health care coverage for everyone.
06:21I am truly so grateful to have you in that fight with me.
06:25Your partnership is a true gift.
06:27Thank you all very, very much.
