Lawmaker emphasizes importance of Medicaid
State Rep. Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) speaks on the House floor on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at the Capitol Building in Lansing.
LANSING, Mich., May 22, 2025 — On the federal level, Republican lawmakers have been working to cut hundreds of billions in Medicaid funding. This is in spite of their Democratic counterparts and the public making it clear that the program is essential and millions of people around the country rely on it. In response, state Rep. Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) issued the following statement:
“Access to health care is one of the most basic expectations people have of their government, especially for those who qualify for programs like Medicaid. In our state, almost 2.7 million Michiganders rely on Medicaid to access lifesaving treatments, preventive care and support services that keep them healthy, working and able to care for their loved ones. These are hard-working people, seniors, individuals with disabilities and low-income families who pay taxes and contribute to our communities. They deserve a health care system that works for them, not against them.
“People pay taxes and expect to receive services in exchange for paying those taxes. Simply raising unnecessary barriers to care will not save the government money. All it will do is prevent the very people Medicaid is designed to help from accessing the care they desperately need and rightfully deserve. We know from past attempts that when care is harder to reach, people get sicker, emergency costs go up and outcomes worsen. We should be focused on making our health care systems more efficient, more compassionate and more responsive — not less. Ensuring timely, equitable access to health care isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart and fiscally responsible thing to do.”
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