Protecting Medicaid for Michigan kids

A version of this column originally appeared in The Alpena News.

Note: This blog was updated on July 10.

The ‘big beautiful bill’ has been passed, and 700,000 Michiganders are at risk of losing health care. Medicaid is incredibly important to children in our state, who will be undeniably and irreparably harmed by the federal cuts facing this critically important program. 

That was one of my key takeaways from the recent release of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which provided a clear picture of how kids are faring across our country and showed us exactly what is at stake once they are unable to receive quality health care.

The Casey Foundation’s 50-state report examines 16 indicators within four key domains of child well-being: economic security, education, health, and family and community. Here in Michigan, the state’s highest ranking continued to be in health at 22nd thanks in large part to more children having access to health insurance due to continuous enrollment in Medicaid during the pandemic. However, federal cuts to Medicaid, all in order to give tax giveaways to the wealthiest of Americans, will unravel these substantial improvements.

In 2022, 97.4% of Michigan children ages birth to 18 had health insurance, and, in 2024, 42.8% of all Michigan children ages birth to 18 were enrolled in Medicaid. That is close to half of all Michigan kids.  

The federal cuts to Medicaid will impact children and families living in every county in Michigan, but they will have an especially significant impact in rural counties, where there are more children relying on the program for their health care needs. 

Hospitals and other health care facilities located in rural areas are also at great risk of being forced to close their doors or reduce their services in the face of these Medicaid cuts, as they tend to rely more heavily on Medicaid funding in order to stay operational. The closure of these facilities would result in significant job losses for health care personnel, impacting the economic security of families raising children, and cause major health care accessibility issues for patients of all ages.

Taking a closer look at childbirth, specifically, our latest KIDS COUNT data shows that the percentage of Medicaid-paid births in Michigan was 39.2% in 2022. However, in rural areas, percentages are much higher. 

Maternity care deserts — areas where there are no hospitals or birth centers offering obstetric care — already exist in many rural areas, and, once the cuts to Medicaid are made, these deserts will most likely multiply, resulting in worse health outcomes for mothers and babies. According to the March of Dimes, women in maternity care deserts face a 13% higher risk of preterm birth and higher rates of inadequate prenatal care. It’s also important to note that inadequate prenatal care disproportionately impacts women of color and women with low incomes in these areas. 

The stakes are so high right now for all Michiganders, including the youngest among us. Michigan kids have a right to be able to grow up healthy and strong, but they won’t be able to do that without access to quality health care, all to line the pockets of the richest among us. One immediate action you can take is to let your member of Congress know what you think about their vote on this bill. We’ve put together a tool that will make that task really simple. Click here to take action.