LANSING — Medicaid cuts passed by Donald Trump and DC Republicans — and backed by MAGA-funded Mike Duggan, who said that “these Medicaid cuts are not as bad as they look” — are forcing between 171,000 and 355,000 Michiganders to now lose their health care, according to a new report.
In October, when asked by a local hospital leader about the impacts that Medicaid cuts will have on Michiganders, Duggan dismissed concerns and downplayed the impacts. It came after Duggan’s campaign deflected questions on if he supports Trump’s toxic tax law and The Detroit Metro Times “couldn’t find an instance in which Duggan spoke out against the Medicaid cuts.”
As Duggan backs the Medicaid cuts, each of the Republican candidates for governor have also supported them, including John James, who voted for Trump’s tax law and has kept the door open to ending Medicaid expansion entirely, and Perry Johnson, who praised the Medicaid-cutting tax law and called it “a win for America and a big win for Michigan.”
NBC News reported this week that “more than 400 hospitals across the United States are at high risk of closing or cutting services because of the Medicaid cuts.”
“Michiganders are losing their health care and all Mike Duggan will say is that ‘these Medicaid cuts are not as bad as they look,’” said Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman. “Even as hospitals close and families lose their health care, Duggan and the Republican candidates for governor won’t stand up to Donald Trump and won’t fight back against these disastrous cuts. It’s clear that Mike Duggan can’t be trusted and will always put billionaires and special interests first, not working families.”
Read more below on the impacts of the Duggan-backed Medicaid cuts in Michigan.
MLive: How many Michiganders will lose Medicaid by 2028?
- Researchers say at least 171,000 Michiganders will lose Medicaid coverage in 2028 as a result of the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- State and health industry leaders have said the cuts to Medicaid will result in hospitals closing their doors, cutting staff and/or reducing available services to make up for losses in government funding.
- Residents with private and employer-provided health insurance are likely to see increased costs as hospitals seek to recoup funding. Longer emergency room wait times may also hit communities already struggling with access challenges, industry experts said shortly after the bill signing.
Michigan Public: Fewer Michiganders will be covered by Medicaid in 2028, report says
- Between 171,000 and 355,000 Michiganders are projected to lose Medicaid coverage under new work requirements and more frequent eligibility determinations established in the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- That’s according to a research report published by the Urban Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.
- Individuals who are self-employed, have health conditions, or are 50 to 64 years old are more at risk of losing Medicaid coverage under the new policies, the Urban Institute said, and losing coverage can lead to worse health, financial burdens, barriers to employment, and delays or an inability to receive essential care.
###
