Councilmember Christina Henderson

05/11/2026

🚨Neighbors, we need your help to sound the alarm! Over 2,000 District residents are in jeopardy of losing health coverage unless they take action by June 3rd.

Check the status of your coverage and submit outstanding verification documents here: www.dchealthlink.com/submit-docs

05/04/2026

The Committee on Health’s FY27 Budget Oversight Hearing of DC Health can be viewed here ⬇️

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05/03/2026

If you’re in the District of Columbia statehood is a topic that you’ve definitely heard about but what steps would DC need to take to achieve it?

This afternoon I joined the DC History Conference for their panel, “How Do We Free DC?”

There are many fiscal impacts of DC’s statehood (or retrocession) that are important to consider such as taxes, our court system, and Medicaid.

While there have been many endeavors to plan out what possibly future logistics may look like none of those have included financial plans.

I hope this conversation sheds some light on what some of the obstacles to DC’s statehood looks like.

Thank you to my fellow panelists Joe Sternlieb and G. Derek Musgrove for a great discussion and Cosby Hunt for moderating.

DC History Center

04/27/2026

Updated calendar for the Committee on Health’s FY27 Budget Oversight Hearings.

-Wednesday’s (April 29) hearing on the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and the Department of Health Care Finance with government witnesses will be rescheduled for a later date.

Stay tuned for more details.

04/24/2026

Yesterday I sat with the DC Federation of Democratic Women for their annual Women in Blue Council Advocacy Day in the John A. Wilson Building.

The group shared their priorities for the FY2027 budget and their support of legislation that tackled issues such as the bottle bill, consistent trash and recycling pickup, expanding access to safe and structured recreational environments for youth, and increasing youth wages through the Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program.

04/22/2026

Access to employment and health security are vehicles to economic independence that everyone deserves. The ability to build independence and thrive in the District includes not having to choose between working and keeping your health coverage.

Currently, aged, blind, and disabled individuals who earn more than $1,305 per month, or two-person households earning more than $1,763 per month, do not qualify for Medicaid.

I introduced the Judith Heumann Memorial Workers with Disabilities Act to establish a program that allows working-age residents with disabilities to “buy in” to Medicaid through modest monthly premiums. The program would create a path to both employment and health security, removing a long-standing barrier to economic independence. The legislation is named after Judith Heumann, who dedicated her life to breaking down barriers and expanding opportunities for people with disabilities.

I look forward to this legislation being on the agenda of the upcoming legislative meeting along with all other matters that will come before the Council.

04/21/2026

Grocery bill feeling a little high? Is your cart getting more expensive even though you’re buying the same things?

What you’re experiencing is surveillance pricing.

In 2025 a study by Consumer Reports and the Groundwork Collaborative found that Instacart listed identical grocery items at varying prices within the same stores in the District of Columbia. Prices were marked up as much as 23% based on nothing more than an individuals willingness to pay for identical items.

Big box stores, airlines, online marketplaces, ride share companies and insurers similarly differentiate prices for customers based on their willingness to pay.

As the District faces affordability issues and increasing unemployment rates this predatory manipulation of costs exploit our residents when many are already struggling.

I introduced the Surveillance Pricing Prohibition Amendment Act of 2026 to protect residents from these exploitative pricing strategies.

04/20/2026

NOW: The Committee on Health’s budget oversight hearing of the Department of Behavioral Health and the Department of Insurance, Security, and Banking.

WATCH HERE:

Budget Oversight of Department of Behavioral Health and Department of Insurance, Security, & Banking

04/16/2026

April 16, 1862 marked the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, through the DC Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862 over 3000 individuals were freed before the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

African Americans in the District responded immediately and enthusiastically to the DC Emancipation Act and the Emancipation Proclamation. With the first Emancipation Parade taking place on April 19, 1866, the fourth anniversary of the DC Emancipation Act. The parades, organized to celebrate the abolition of slavery, were also used to make public demands for full citizenship.

This year the District celebrates the 21st Annual DC Emancipation Day Festival, Parade, and Concert as a way to mark the signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act. Whereas years ago, newspapers recounted the first Emancipation Day parades as “an exhibition of folly and almost madness” as they simultaneously stated that parade was “no longer than the length of a short square”.

I challenge you to celebrate the significance of this bright legacy in the African American community by participating in a local Emancipation Day event. You can find a list of activities below.

https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-invites-residents-kick-dc250-celebration-free-events-announces-star-studded

https://nmaahc.si.edu/events/district-day-2026

04/11/2026

The schedule for the Committee on Health’s FY2027 Budget Oversight Hearings is live. You can share the graphic below for easy access or check out the calendar online here: https://dccouncil.gov/2025-2026-performance-oversight-fy-2027-budget-schedules/

You can sign up to testify for hearings here: https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings/

04/11/2026

The latest installation of The Henderson Brief is live! You can read my opening letter above, it contains the Committee on Health’s FY2027 budget oversight schedule and an overview of my introduced bills: the Prenatal and Postpartum Remote Patient Monitoring Clarification Amendment Act of 2026, the Judith Heumann Memorial Workers with Disabilities Act of 2026, and the Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026.

You can read the newsletter in its entirety at the link below.

🔗: https://www.christinahendersondc.com/newsletters/the-henderson-brief-improving-access-to-healthcare-and-the-fy27-budget