Michigan Health Watch

A congressional plan to cut Medicaid funding advanced late Sunday as the battle continues over the safety net program that covers more than 2.6 million Michiganders.

Studies show that recreation is key to healthy aging, but Michigan relies mostly on a hodgepodge of local taxes that advocates say has led to a system of have and have-nots.

Michigan now covers more than double the portion of the population it did 30 years ago. Is that growth unchecked, or just enough to cover the most vulnerable?

Michigan is experiencing a rise in measles and whooping cough due to declining childhood vaccination rates and health officials are sounding alarms.

The state has seven confirmed measles cases as of Thursday, including three linked cases in Montcalm County.

State Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Niles, introduced a bill to ban the purchase of soda pop with SNAP benefits, citing concerns over nutrition and taxpayer spending.

Michigan’s network of senior services can be hard to navigate. The first step is knowing who to call first.

The first members of Generation X — the cohort of Michiganders born between 1965 and 1980 — turn 60 this year. Caregiving duties are here. Retirement is in sight. Here’s how to prepare.

Lawmakers need to streamline bureaucracy, change policies and focus on caregiving to prepare for a gray wave that is gripping Michigan.

Michigan underfunds services for the elderly compared to other states. That’s a red flag for a state with a fast-aging population.

Michigan spends more than many states and gets less in return on services for seniors, who face long waits for care, transportation gaps and bureaucracy that pushes them to nursing homes. The problems will only get worse.

At the University of Michigan, research is underway that asks if ‘superagers’ have special brains that keep them active and sharp well into their senior years. Or does a superager’s insistence on staying active protect their brain?

Seasonal allergies, particularly hay fever, are worsening due to longer pollen seasons. Early medication and immunotherapy can help manage symptoms and make allergy season more bearable.

Desperately needed housing for those recovering from drug addiction is on hold in a fight over ‘green’ federal grants.

Women seeking abortion services in much of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula will have to drive to Traverse City for in-person care after Planned Parenthood announced it was closing three clinics, including in Petoskey and Marquette.

Michigan becomes last state to lift surrogacy ban in move advocates say will make it easier for infertile and same-sex couples to start families. Critics fear exploitation. Here’s what to know.

Most of the now-cancelled grants were meant to help local health departments vaccinate vulnerable Michiganders, provide services for people with mental illnesses, addiction and gambling problems and monitor wastewater for infectious diseases.

Local health providers and public health leaders were set on edge this week after a federal website listed $394 million in cuts to Michigan’s state health department.

Health officials worry that the single case of highly contagious measles might spread after the infected person went out to eat in Rochester and twice sought emergency room treatment.

The loss of chain pharmacies has sent many to neighborhood pharmacies. Many are adding staff to handle the crunch and at least one invested in a robot.