May 09, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2025
Contact: press@michigan.gov
Gov. Whitmer Releases Data on How Pregnant Women and Michiganders with Disabilities Will Be Impacted by Devastating Medicaid Cuts
New MDHHS report shows Medicaid cuts could strip Michigan hospitals of billions of dollars, terminate health care for 750,000 Michiganders
LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released data on the devastating impact of proposed Medicaid cuts on pregnant women and Michiganders with disabilities. If enacted, the cuts would rip billions of dollars from Michigan’s health care system that supports expecting moms and Michiganders with disabilities. Earlier this week, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released a report laying out the potential impact of the cuts on people’s health across Michigan.
“Medicaid covers about half of births statewide. Proposed cuts could terminate health care for 750,000 of our friends, family, and neighbors, including many pregnant women and Michiganders with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to access basic and lifesaving care,” said Governor Whitmer. “New parents should be able to focus on one thing: welcoming their precious baby into the world. Protecting Medicaid is about protecting women’s health in communities across Michigan. Let’s keep fighting for pregnant women and Michiganders with disabilities, ensuring they can access the care they need without unnecessary roadblocks.”
“With nearly one in two Michigan births covered by Medicaid, cutting this program would put Michiganders’ heath and lives at risk,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “These proposed cuts would prevent many pregnant Michiganders and Michiganders with disabilities from accessing the vital care and services they need most. That is unacceptable. Governor Whitmer and I will keep working to protect Michiganders’ access to health care.”
Medicaid & Pregnant Michiganders
Medicaid covers 45% of births statewide and provides thousands of pregnant women access to critical prenatal care, prescriptions, and procedures, helping them stay safe and healthy. The proposed cuts would gut $2.3 billion from Michigan hospitals, limiting their ability to provide care to pregnant women across the state. Specifically, expecting moms would lose out on services like regular checkups, screenings, and counseling, negatively impacting their ability to have a healthy and safe pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
Cuts to Medicaid would have a disproportionate impact on Michigan’s rural areas where over 60% of births are covered by Medicaid. In states that have already rolled back Medicaid, rural hospitals have been forced to close essential departments like labor and delivery, disrupting care for everyone in the community. More pregnant women would be put in unnecessary danger by having to drive further and spend more just to access care. If enacted, cuts to Medicaid would threaten the progress Michigan has made in preserving rural communities’ access to care, driving up rates of morbidity, mortality, and uncompensated care.
Medicaid and Michiganders with Disabilities
Medicaid covers 300,000 people with disabilities, ensuring they have access to the critical care, prescription drugs, and medical procedures they need to stay safe and healthy. Many Michiganders with disabilities rely on Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) providers which receive more than $1.5 billion in Medicaid dollars each year. The services they provide range from personal care and counseling to energy assistance, and transportation. Proposed cuts could gut millions of dollars from HCBS, threatening Michiganders with disabilities who rely on these providers to prevent costly hospitalizations or avoid institutional placements.
“These Medicaid cuts are a direct attack on the ability of Michiganders to build and protect their families,” said Stephanie Jones, Executive Director of Michigan Fertility Alliance. “Fertility healthcare, prenatal care, and pregnancy support are not luxuries—they are essential healthcare. Stripping away access will force people to delay or forgo care altogether, including routine screenings that safeguard fertility, especially in rural and underserved communities. The result will be more infertility, more pregnancy complications, and more families left without options. We cannot stand by while the health and futures of thousands are jeopardized.”
“Access to prenatal care is essential for healthy births and for many women that care would be difficult to attain or afford without Medicaid coverage,” said Amy Zaagman, Executive Director of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health. “Proposed federal funding cuts threaten the gains we have made in Michigan utilizing Medicaid coverage for effective perinatal services and supports such as doulas and group-based prenatal care to improve outcomes.”
Medicaid is also essential in Michigan’s schools, providing funding to support students with disabilities," said Julie Shaw, Director of the Superior Alliance for Independent Living in the Upper Peninsula. "Specifically, Medicaid ensures that they have access to vital health services such as counseling, speech therapy, nursing care, and mental health support directly at school. Cuts to Medicaid could terminate these services, resulting in many students struggling to succeed in the classroom and beyond. “Medicaid cuts threaten essential services that empower individuals to live with dignity, independence, and inclusion. We must invest in people, not abandon them.”
Medicaid Executive Directive
The report was compiled in response to Executive Directive 2025-3 from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, which directed MDHHS to identify the potential impact Republican-proposed cuts to Medicaid would have on Michiganders’ health.
Republican-Proposed Cuts to Medicaid
Recently, Republicans in Congress announced a plan to cut $880 billion from Medicaid, so they can deliver a $4 trillion tax cut that would primarily benefit the rich. If passed, this would be the largest cut to Medicaid in its 60-year history. Nationwide, millions would lose access to health care and the cost of health care will go up for every single American.
In Michigan, as many as 750,000 people could lose access to basic, lifesaving health care. The cuts will be particularly stark in small town and rural Michigan where 37% of residents are covered by Medicaid. Additionally, they would force providers in Michigan to close their doors and reduce the variety of services, affecting coverage for those who can least afford care, including children, disabled people, and the elderly.
Medicaid's Role in Supporting Michigan's Economy
Medicaid plays a key role in supporting the health of Michigan's economy. Michigan’s health care industry has a total economic impact of $77 billion per year: greater than any other industry in the state. Medicaid expansion alone sparked the creation of more than 30,000 new jobs. These jobs boost the personal spending power for Michigan residents by about $2.3 billion each year, resulting in an estimated $150 million in tax revenue annually.
If Republicans succeed, Michigan hospitals could lose out on half a billion dollars in Medicaid funding annually, threatening thousands of jobs. As a result, hospitals in local and rural communities across Michigan will close, threatening access to care, raising prices, and forcing people to drive further for health care. This could drive Michiganders out of our state, reducing our population growth and crippling our economy.
Supporting Michigan Pregnant and Disabled Populations
Since taking office, the Whitmer-Gilchrist administration has worked to expand access to quality, affordable health care and deliver for pregnant Michiganders and Michiganders with disabilities.
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