For Immediate Release
September 23, 2019
Contact:
Alex Rossman
arossman@mlpp.org
517-487-5436
Gov. Whitmer signs legislation to help Healthy Michigan Plan enrollees, but Legislature rejects $10 million she requested in DHHS budget for outreach and support
LANSING—The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following statement on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature of Senate Bill 362 into law today. The bipartisan legislation addresses some concerns with Healthy Michigan Plan work requirements taking effect in January 2020 and the high potential for inadvertently lost coverage for enrollees. The legislation gives beneficiaries more time to verify compliance with the law and exempts people from reporting workforce engagement if the state can verify their compliance through other available data. The statement can be attributed to Michigan League for Public Policy President and CEO Gilda Z. Jacobs.
“If a single person loses life-saving healthcare coverage inadvertently because of these work requirements, it’s one too many. The Michigan League for Public Policy has opposed work requirements for the Healthy Michigan Plan and Medicaid since President Trump wrongfully opened the door to them in early 2018, and we oppose them just as strongly today. We do support Senate Bill 362 and its intent to reduce red tape, provide some flexibility to the reporting requirements, and limit the potential harms of the Medicaid work requirements.
“However, the only true solution to fending off the alarming estimated coverage losses is to eliminate the Healthy Michigan Plan work requirements altogether. The governor and the Department of Health and Human Services are simply doing the best they can with a bad piece of policy they’ve inherited. And intentionally or not, the Legislature has further stacked the odds against the more than half a million people who depend on the Healthy Michigan Plan by nixing the governor’s $10 million funding request to help the department with outreach and education on the new rules and to provide work supports to enrollees trying to comply with the new rules.
“Confusion among beneficiaries not knowing they had to report hours—or even how to report them—has been the main reason for jaw-dropping coverage losses in other states, and for legal challenges that have blocked Medicaid work requirements in three of four other states that have implemented them. Now, instead of learning from these states’ mistakes and working with the governor to fund efforts to prevent them, the Michigan Legislature is setting us up to repeat those failures, harming residents in the process.”
BACKGROUND:
League CEO Gilda Z. Jacobs testified in support of Senate Bill 362—and in opposition to Healthy Michigan Plan work requirements—on June 13, 2019.
The League has supported the highly successful Healthy Michigan Plan, including in its 2020 state budget analysis and in its Owner’s Manual for Michigan policy agenda.
Visit the League’s Healthy Michigan Plan work requirements resources page for more information and analyses on other states’ problems with Medicaid work requirements and the threats they pose to health coverage in Michigan.
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The Michigan League for Public Policy, www.mlpp.org, is a nonprofit policy institute focused on economic opportunity for all. It is the only state-level organization that addresses poverty in a comprehensive way.
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
