Updates About Public Health

As Medicare and Medicaid reach their 60th anniversary, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist are celebrating the sweeping impact the programs have had on Michiganders while also raising alarm over recent federal threats to their future. These landmark health care programs now cover more than one in four state residents, providing essential care for children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families. Whitmer credited Medicaid and Medicare with reducing poverty, supporting rural hospitals, and keeping costs down for working families.

At the same time, Whitmer and Gilchrist sharply criticized recently passed federal legislation that cuts nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding, which would eliminate health care for many here in Michigan. With nearly 2.6 million Michiganders relying on these programs, including 1 million children and three in five nursing home residents, Whitmer and Gilchrist have pledged to keep fighting for access to affordable care, even as Congress moves in the opposite direction.

State Attorney General Dana Nessel recently joined 16 other state attorney generals in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over its decision to halt funding for mental health services in K–12 schools. The legal challenge asserts that the Department’s action to discontinue congressionally allocated grants violates federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act and constitutional protections. These funds were initially approved to support the hiring of school-based mental health professionals in response to growing student needs.

The lawsuit highlights the significant impact of these grants, which helped serve hundreds of thousands of students and expand access to school counselors, social workers, and psychologists. In Michigan, the Department of Education, Grand Valley State University, and Lansing School District were among those affected. Attorney General Nessel emphasized that revoking these resources could worsen the mental health crisis facing schools and deprive students of essential support. The suit seeks to restore the funding and prevent further disruptions to these critical services.

The U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled to uphold the constitutionality of Michigan’s Newborn Screening Program, allowing our state to continue one of its most critical public health efforts. This decision came when the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling and confirmed that the state’s collection and use of de-identified newborn blood samples, used to screen for over 50 potentially life-threatening conditions, does not infringe on constitutional rights. The ruling also protects the BioTrust for Health, a research initiative that supports medical advancement through the use of privacy-protected samples.

Attorney General Dana Nessel and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Elizabeth Hertel both praised the decision as a win for families across the state. Since its launch in 1965, the Newborn Screening Program has enabled early diagnosis and treatment for thousands of Michigan infants who might otherwise have gone undiagnosed. With the court’s ruling, the program can continue to detect rare disorders in their earliest stages— when intervention is most effective— while also supporting responsible medical research that may benefit future generations.