1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I’m writing to ask you to consider introducing or supporting federal legislation establishing a basic protection I think is long overdue: three months of paid medical leave for every American who becomes seriously ill or injured. I’d call it the Medical Illness Time and Compensation for Households Act — the MITCH Act. The idea is simple. Americans should be guaranteed up to 12 weeks of paid leave when a medical condition makes them unable to work. Most of us can plan for vacations, childcare expenses, and even many emergencies. We cannot plan for cancer, a major surgery, a serious accident, or an unexpected illness that takes us out of work for weeks or months. Yet our current system often forces people to face two crises at once: a medical crisis and the sudden loss of their income. Employer sick leave may cover a few days. Long-term disability is designed for much longer absences and is not available to everyone. FMLA provides important job protection for eligible workers, but unpaid leave is simply not a realistic option for many American families. There is a significant gap between these systems, and ordinary working families fall into it every day. I believe we can design a responsible federal program that provides up to three months of wage replacement for a worker’s own serious medical condition, available regardless of employer, while establishing reasonable medical certification and protections against abuse. This should not be a partisan idea. People get cancer in red states and blue states. They have heart attacks, undergo surgeries, break bones, and develop serious illnesses regardless of their politics, income, or occupation. Americans who have worked and supported themselves should not risk losing their homes or draining their savings simply because they need a few months to recover. I hope you will consider taking up this idea and working toward legislation that establishes a meaningful national paid medical leave benefit. It is time for the MITCH Act: three months of paid medical leave for every American who needs it.