Jocelyn Benson and Rep. Betsy Coffia in Traverse City Record-Eagle: “Right now, health care is inaccessible, unfair, and unaffordable”
Jocelyn Benson and Rep. Betsy Coffia in Traverse City Record-Eagle: “Right now, health care is inaccessible, unfair, and unaffordable”
In a new op-ed in the Traverse City Record-Eagle, Jocelyn Benson and state Rep. Betsy Coffia share the heartbreaking stories about the healthcare system they've heard from voters in northern Michigan and explain how Jocelyn’s healthcare plan will lower costs, improve outcomes, and ensure Michiganders in every corner of the state have access to quality care.
In January, Jocelyn released her plan to drive down the cost of premiums and prescription drugs, eliminate surprise billing, expand access to care across the state, especially in rural and underserved areas, and grow our healthcare workforce to meet demand across the state. She is the only candidate for governor with a plan to lower costs and improve care. While she’s traveled the state, listening to Michiganders’ stories and sharing her healthcare affordability plan, the leading Republican candidate has consistently voted to raise healthcare costs and gut Medicaid, and the Independent says Medicaid cuts aren’t that bad for the hundreds of thousands who rely on them.
In case you missed it…
Traverse City Record Eagle: Forum: Northern Michigan health care crisis needs real solutions
[Jocelyn Benson and Rep. Betsy Coffia, 03/20/2026]
Across our state, we are witnessing the same heartwrenching story repeat itself: It’s becoming harder and harder for Michiganders to access and afford the healthcare they need.
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Over and over throughout the roundtable [in Traverse City], we heard the same refrain: I did everything by the book, I worked my whole life. I saved my whole life. And now, with healthcare costs skyrocketing, we are on shaky ground.
Right now, health care is inaccessible, unfair, and unaffordable. This broken system is forcing families to make impossible choices.
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Now, Republican Medicaid cuts have stripped thousands of their coverage and forced hospitals, even right here in Northern Michigan, to close, deepening an already looming healthcare desert. And the Republican elimination of the Affordable Care Act tax credits are hurting Michiganders.
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Northern Michiganders are hurting. That’s why we came together to share Jocelyn’s healthcare plan — because people in Northern Michigan deserve a governor who will tackle these issues head-on and bring down the cost of care for everyone.
The plan takes on staffing shortages by investing in training and retention for rural healthcare workers.
It brings care directly to communities by investing in mobile health centers that deliver low or no-cost preventive services directly to rural and underserved areas hit hardest by hospital closures and federal funding cuts.
And it protects patients by cracking down on surprise billing, requiring hospitals to be upfront about costs, and holding insurance companies accountable when they deny care doctors prescribe.
And it’s the only plan put forth by a candidate in the race for governor to make healthcare more affordable.
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For us, and for the people of Northern Michigan, healthcare is more than a policy debate, it’s life and death. Yet our system continues to prioritize profits over patients. No one should have to choose between keeping the lights on, retiring with dignity, or seeing a doctor.
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In November, we have a choice on the ballot: Accept a system that keeps getting worse, or elect a governor who is ready and able to fix it.
Join us in choosing a better future for Michigan by electing Jocelyn Benson as our next governor.
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