Michigan's Medicaid Work Requirement Comes With a Racist Twist

[Kaleva]

3. Very few counties in rural Michgan have unemployment rates that exceed 8.5%

Last edited Mon May 7, 2018, 03:00 AM - Edit history (2)

Out of the 15 counties that are part of the rural Upper Peninsula, 2 had an unemployment rate that exceeded the proposed 8.5% benchmark. The average for all 15 counties is 5.5%.

http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/content/news/Unemployment-rate-in-the-UP-increased-seasonally--468165253.html

So this statement from the article is factually incorrect:

"That would leave the largely white residents of rural areas, some of which are represented by the bill’s sponsors, exempt from the onerous new rule. "

The great majority of white residents who live in rural areas and receive medicaid would not be exempt from the proposed work requirement.

Inter county transit systems, dysfunctional or not, does not exist in Upper Michigan.

From the article:

"That would leave the largely white residents of rural areas, some of which are represented by the bill’s sponsors, exempt from the onerous new rule."

Of the 4 state senate districts that cover the northern 1/3 of lower Michigan and all of Upper Michigan, only 1 senator, Wayne Schmidt, is a co-sponser of the bill.

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(t0jvnglwi1y4snsqeotmiwvs))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=2018-SB-0897&query=on

Edit: And looking at the list of senate co-sponsors, one sees that most represent urban areas such as Grand Rapids, Jackson, Benton Harbor, Livonia, Oakland County and such. Districts that one would not consider to be rural. Only two of the ten co-sponsors, Wayne Schmidt and Judy Emmons, would I consider to represent rural districts.