(WXYZ) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill to change Medicaid work requirements in Michigan.
“The Healthy Michigan Plan I worked to pass with Governor Snyder was a landmark bipartisan accomplishment, extending coverage to more than 680,000 people, increasing primary care usage, reducing dependence on emergency rooms, and strengthening our economy. But the work requirement legislation that passed last year puts that progress at risk,” said Whitmer. “The changes I signed today will reduce the number of people who must jump hurdles to provide proof of what they are already doing, but there’s more we must do to mitigate their harmful impact. I ask that the legislature work with me to protect coverage for thousands of Michiganders."
Senate Bill 362 will give beneficiaries more time to verify compliance with the law. The legislation will enact a provision that automatically suspends work requirements if data shows that a significant number of Michiganders are on track to lose their health care due to the new compliance requirements.
“To my great regret, it now appears that the legislature is less interested in giving Michiganders the facts and the tools to comply with work requirements than in taking away Michiganders’ health insurance,” said Whitmer. “As a result, tens of thousands of Michiganders stand to lose needed health care and suffer medical and economic harms that responsible leaders could easily have avoided. I ask the legislature to work with me to prevent this outcome.”
