LA SHAWN K. FORD’S ROADMAP TO PROTECT COVERAGE, LOWER COSTS, AND STRENGTHEN CARE FOR EVERY FAMILY IN IL-07
Health care is the issue that touches every household in the 7th District. Seniors managing chronic conditions. Working families facing rising costs. Young adults trying to stay healthy in a time of stress and anxiety. People living with disabilities who depend on regular access to medication, screenings, and preventive care. Health care is not a political talking point here. It is a daily reality, a financial burden, and a source of uncertainty that families carry with them every day.
Our district has some of the most respected hospitals, clinics, and community health centers in the country. We also have neighborhoods where people struggle to get even basic care. National decisions made far away from us can cut coverage, raise premiums, reduce provider access, and push families into crisis. These are not theoretical debates. They are changes that affect lives, stability, and community strength.
We cannot allow our district to be pushed backward. We cannot allow families to lose coverage. We cannot allow our clinics and hospitals to be overwhelmed. We must protect the programs that work and fight for the improvements we know our communities need.
Meet Our Health Adviser: Dr. Thomas Huggett
Dr. Thomas Huggett has served patients on the West Side for more than 30 years and has been La Shawn Ford’s volunteer health adviser since 2006. He is a trusted physician, a respected leader in community health, and an advocate for preventive and behavioral care. His guidance ensures that this campaign’s health plan is grounded in clinical reality and built around the needs of the district.
From Dr. Huggett:
“As a family doctor who has served this district for decades, I have seen how Rep. Ford listens to people, supports vital health care agencies, and passes legislation that improves community health. There is more to do. It is an honor to support Rep. Ford to be our next congressman.”
The Challenge We Face
More than 244,000 people in the 7th District rely on Medicaid.
More than 65,000 rely on the ACA expansion.
And thousands of seniors depend on Medicare to manage chronic conditions, receive preventive screenings, afford medications, and access specialists.
When any of these programs are weakened, the consequences are immediate:
• Seniors face higher out of pocket costs.
• Families lose coverage during redeterminations.
• Behavioral health access becomes more limited.
• Chronic conditions go untreated.
• Emergency departments become overloaded.
• Pharmacies face delays.
• Hospitals and clinics lose financial stability.
These pressures affect every part of the district, from the West Side to the Near West Side, downtown workers, Oak Park seniors, and families across the suburbs.
We cannot allow cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, or ACA protections to destabilize the care people depend on.
La Shawn Ford’s Record of Service
La Shawn Ford has spent his career fighting for access, preventive care, and community health outcomes. His record includes:
• Passing six laws to expand HIV screening, early detection, and treatment.
• Helping establish the West Side Heroin and Opioid Task Force, which contributed to a decrease in overdose deaths and ambulance responses.
• Advocating for behavioral health funding and recovery support programs.
• Pressuring managed care organizations to improve pharmacy access.
• Passing legislation requiring prostate cancer screening coverage without a co-pay after surviving prostate cancer.
• Supporting the stability of community hospitals, FQHCs, and mental health centers by securing funding at critical moments.
• Working alongside UIC, Rush, Cook County Health, and neighborhood clinics to strengthen care access.
This record shows experience, urgency, and a commitment to real action.
The next step is carrying that work to Washington.
What I Will Fight for in Congress
My top priorities in Washington will be protecting Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA access, bringing more behavioral health and recovery services to our neighborhoods, and expanding preventive care so families do not have to wait until they are in crisis to get help.
Protect Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA coverage
These three programs are the backbone of care in the 7th District. Seniors depend on Medicare for specialists, medications, preventive screenings, and chronic care. Working families depend on Medicaid and ACA plans to stay healthy. I will oppose any cuts and fight for stability and affordability across all three programs.
Strengthen behavioral health and recovery services
Mental health and addiction continue to place pressure on families. Our district needs more counselors, more recovery programs, and easier access to care. I will support federal investments that bring behavioral health resources into neighborhoods.
Expand preventive care and early detection
Preventive care saves lives. I will fight for policies that expand access to screenings, reduce costs, and encourage early treatment for chronic conditions and cancers.
Increase access to providers and stabilize the care network
Our clinics, FQHCs, and hospitals carry a heavy load. I will support efforts to increase the number of primary care and behavioral health providers and strengthen the funding that keeps community care accessible.
Promote access to fresh food, exercise, and wellness programs
Health is shaped by daily living conditions. I will support programs that expand access to healthy food, safe exercise options, and community wellness resources.
Advance long term solutions for health care security
A district as diverse and dynamic as IL 07 needs a health care system that removes fear, increases stability, and works for every family. I will work toward solutions that provide fairness, clarity, and reliability.
Why This Matters
Health care access is directly tied to safety, stability, and opportunity.
When people can afford medicine, manage chronic conditions, access mental health care, and stay connected to their providers, the entire district benefits.
Protecting Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA coverage is not a political argument. It is a commitment to the people who live here.
Additional Reading
If you want to understand why this work matters so much to me, I invite you to read my recent op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times. In that column, I share how the Affordable Care Act protected me when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and how the expiration of federal premium tax credits is already placing real pressure on families across our district and across Illinois.
I wrote that piece because this is personal. My own experience taught me how critical affordability and early detection are. I also know that many older adults, working families, and people living with chronic conditions are being hit hard by the decisions made in Washington to let these protections expire.
You can read the op-ed here:
Chicago Sun-Times: Affordable Care Act premium tax credits are a lifeline. We cannot lose them.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2025/12/03/affordable-care-act-aca-premium-tax-credits-prostate-cancer-la-shawn-ford
I will bring this perspective to Congress. I will work to restore affordability protections, strengthen Medicaid, Medicare and the ACA, and make sure every family in the 7th District has a fair chance to stay healthy.
