Health Care
Study: ‘Deaths of despair’ could drop with EITC, minimum wage boosts
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed state budget would increase Michigan’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from its current rate of 6 percent to 12 percent, something she says would add an additional $30 per month to low-income families’ pockets. A recent working paper from a group of University of California researchers, however, says that it might […]
Shirkey: GOP ‘more optimistic than in weeks’ for auto no-fault deal
As negotiations continue between Republican leaders and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, GOP leaders are finding hope that major changes to the state’s auto no-fault insurance system may become law. Michigan’s current auto insurance law, the only of its kind in the nation, requires drivers pay for unlimited lifetime medical coverage included in their insurance plans. Republicans […]
Juvenile vaping ban passes, unclear if Whitmer will sign
The Michigan House approved a Senate bill almost unanimously on Wednesday that would ban minors from purchasing vapor-based, or “vape” and other “alternative nicotine” products. Now it’s on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk. Senate Bill 106 would bring Michigan’s laws regarding e-cigarettes in line with those of both the federal government and almost every other state […]
Progressives find gun control support beyond traditional Dem areas
As Igor Volsky traverses the country representing the pro-gun-control nonprofit Guns Down America, he’s visited communities torn apart by gun violence from exurban Delaware to Littleton, Colo., where the Columbine High School shooting occurred 20 years ago. Volsky, the group’s founder and executive director, made back-to-back stops in Michigan this week. He saw two starkly different, […]
No-fault negotiations drag on as House plan moves forward
Negotiations are ongoing between top GOP leaders and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as the Legislature continues to negotiate over how best to overhaul the state’s no-fault auto insurance law. Both the state House and Senate last week somewhat unexpectedly passed different plans that Republicans say will result in lower auto insurance costs for drivers, although Democrats […]
Julia Pulver: Abortion 101: Because our lawmakers need a refresher
Perhaps it’s been a long time since some had a high school health class or even basic studies in anatomy and physiology. Because there are several male-dominated legislatures that are proposing wildly inaccurate and breathtakingly inappropriate prescriptions for women’s reproductive health care across the country. This is true in Michigan, as the state House and […]
Republicans pass abortion ban on Right to Life lobby day
Updated, 4:40 p.m., with House votes and additional reporting Senate and House Republicans on Tuesday passed bills banning an abortion procedure after declining to pursue similar legislation last term when GOP Gov. Rick Snyder was at the helm — even though the party enjoyed a larger majority in both chambers. But with Democratic Gov. Gretchen […]
Slotkin recalls mom’s cancer diagnosis while voting for pre-existing protections bill
WASHINGTON — For U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the political fight over insurance coverage for those with pre-existing conditions hits close to home. The Holly Democrat said her mother died of ovarian cancer in 2011 after suffering from breast cancer when she was a young mother in her 30s. Her mom had struggled to get health […]
Republicans celebrate auto insurance reform progress as Whitmer renews veto threat
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is threatening to veto House Republicans’ newest plan to allow auto insurance companies to sell reduced-coverage plans with a mandated rate decrease. Republicans are heralding House Bill 4397, which passed after 2 a.m. Thursday, as a way to offer drivers relief from Michigan’s high auto insurance rates. The bill would allow insurance […]
New: Michigan State Medical Society opposes Senate GOP abortion restrictions
The Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) has come out against anti-abortion bills slated to be debated Thursday morning in a state Senate committee. The Michigan Advance has obtained a copy of the May 1 letter from MSMS President Dr. Betty Chu written to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Twp.) on Senate Bill 229, […]
Here’s where Michigan is on auto insurance reform after the House’s 2 a.m. vote and Whitmer’s earlier veto threat
A little more than a day after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer threatened to veto Senate legislation overhauling the state’s unique no-fault auto insurance law, Republican House leaders held a last-minute vote early Thursday morning on their own bill allowing drivers to purchase reduced coverage at a cheaper rate. On Tuesday, state Rep. Jason Wentworth (R-Clare), who […]
‘All options on the table’ as Whitmer threatens to veto Senate no-fault plan
Michigan Republican House leaders are not ruling out anything as they consider a Senate-passed plan to overhaul the state’s auto no-fault insurance that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has already threatened to veto. Just hours after the GOP-controlled Senate approved Senate Bill 1 allowing drivers to opt out of mandatory injury coverage included in current auto insurance […]