North Kent News

Health care continues to be a key issue among Michigan voters in 2020. The Center Square says that Michigan candidates can expect to face the health care issue heavily as they enter the battleground state. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in her Jan. 29 State of the State address, backed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) but recommended some changes. Whitmer also expressed her thoughts on dismantling Obamacare during the address.

“Dismantling the ACA would be disastrous for our state and devastating for our people,” the governor said. "One of the most important ACA provisions prohibits an insurance company from denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions. Without that provision, the coverage of millions in our state could be at risk.”

Whitmer also expressed her interest in expanding ACA to protect people with preexisting conditions, expectant and postpartum mothers, and access to affordable birth control. Whitmer called for a bipartisan effort in increasing those protections and announced a new task force to ensure lower prescription drug prices and additional protections for women who choose to have children. 

New studies done by Third Way, a Washington, D.C. think tank, found that Michigan voters prefer ACA to Medicare for All, highlighting a differentiating value between candidates for the upcoming presidential election, according to The Center Square. 

While support for ACA is high, many voters are focused on revamping the program, The Center Square reported. Executive Vice President for Policy Jim Kessler wrote on Third Way's website that Medicare for All jeopardizes Democrats' chances for a decisive primary winner, which he said is necessary in winning the 2020 presidential election.

While ACA does offer protection, coverage and hope for many Americans, there are drawbacks to the program. The vice president for strategic outreach and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Lindsay Killen, told The Center Square that it's time to overturn the current system.

Killen said doubling down on ACA shows a lack of vision, and it's time to focus on more innovative solutions to help the American people achieve a flexible health care system that reduces costs, increases access and protects the country's most vulnerable citizens.