State Reps. Betsy Coffia, left, and Carrie Rheingans, right, speak at the MiCare Health Care for All Town Hall in Traverse City.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Dec. 8, 2025 — On Wednesday, Dec. 3, state Reps. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City) and Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) hosted a MiCare Health Care for All Town Hall in Traverse City.
The town hall was the latest in a series of events that Rheingans, a public health expert, has hosted around the state to discuss MiCare (House Bill 4407), her legislative proposal to ensure health care for all at a time of rising costs. Coffia is a co-sponsor of the legislation. The event attracted nearly 60 attendees, including caregivers and health care providers, and also served as an opportunity for attendees to ask questions, provide feedback on the legislation and share their experience with the health care affordability crisis overall.
“Health care is not a luxury like a yacht or a sports car; it is a basic need we all have, and one many far less wealthy countries already guarantee as a human right for their residents,” Coffia said. “I’m very alarmed by reductions in health care access to thousands of my constituents caused by the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act.’ OBBBA put up to 700,000 Michiganders in jeopardy of losing their Medicaid health coverage. It also eliminated the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits at the end of this year so thousands more families and individuals in my district are set to see their premiums increase by an estimated 70% on the marketplace, all so OBBBA could give big tax breaks to the ultra wealthy like Elon Musk and Betsy DeVos. I am hearing loud and clear from both health care providers and families that the status quo is broken and getting worse. We need to be laser focused on building a future where not a single one of our neighbors goes without health care, and that is the focus of the town hall and this MiCare proposal.”
MiCare is a universal, publicly-funded health care plan that would provide comprehensive, high-quality coverage to every Michigander, without deductibles, co-insurance, co-pays or caps. MiCare would maintain and add to today’s health care provider network, bringing savings to patients, employers and providers by reducing administrative costs, resulting in direct savings for the vast majority of Michiganders.
“Thank you to everyone who braved the snow on a Wednesday night to talk about the future of health care in our state!” Rheingans said. “The people of Grand Traverse know that the system we have today simply is not working, and recognize that health care is a human right, not just another commodity on the free market. You can’t just shop around to try and get the best price for care, especially in Northern Michigan, with limited care options. Now, you have even less of a choice of where you get care due to hospitals and clinics closing as a result of Washington Republicans’ so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act.’ Michiganders deserve a new and better way forward: MiCare, a publicly-funded, universal coverage option for all ten million Michiganders with zero monthly premiums, co-pays, deductibles or caps on care.”
Attendees listen to remarks at the MiCare Health Care for All Town Hall in Traverse City.
###