New work requirements and paperwork are making it harder for people to keep their food assistance benefits.
Michigan Health Watch
In-depth reporting on the intersection between public policy and important health topics ‒ such as insurance coverage, hospital admissions, opioid abuse, access to care, medical research and the business of health care ‒ that impact nearly every Michigan resident.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan’s biggest hospitals won’t say how much they collect in facility fees
Hospitals say they need the fees to stay solvent. Bridge asked the top largest how much they collect. None disclosed the amounts, but some offered partial answers.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Hidden fees cost Michigan patients millions. Lawmakers push reforms
‘Facility fees’ are buried deep in bills and often include little explanation. Health officials say they need the money to stay afloat, but won’t divulge much about the charges. One expert calls them a ‘black box.’
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Dysfunction rocks county health dept. at center of Michigan MAHA movement
Nurses allege a toxic workplace has taken root at the St. Clair County Health Department. But officials are shrugging off calls for an independent investigation of its anti-vaccine medical director.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan got $173M to transform rural health. Where is it going?
Some rural healthcare leaders say the first round of funds allocated from the Rural Health Transformation Program don’t go far enough to stabilize their industry amid federal cuts.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Who will be exempt from Medicaid work rules in Michigan? What to know
The US Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services issued guidance this month to define which Medicaid recipients are too frail to meet new work requirements that start after Jan. 1.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
How many kindergarteners in your Michigan school are vaccinated? Find out here
Statewide, nearly 8% of Michigan kindergarten students received vaccine waivers in 2025, up from less than 7% a year earlier.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Vaccination rates drop to 10-year low for Michigan’s school–age children
Michigan students receiving exemption waivers for vaccines jumped to 7.1% in 2025, marking a five-year streak of worsening vaccine participation in the state.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
As health costs climb, some care shifts to Michigan’s charity clinics
A network of free clinics operates on shoestring budgets, volunteers, donated supplies and hope. Some predict they’ll need more of that if more Michiganders lose health coverage.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan school districts offer insurance-free care to beat rising health costs
Direct primary care typically works outside insurance. But what if it were instead added to existing coverage? Three Michigan school districts are giving it a try.