First Michigan, then comparison states.

• Individual plan rate increases range from 11.1% for Priority Health up to a breath-stopping 25.5% for United Healthcare.
• Small group plans start at a 7% increase for Blue Cross, and top out at 14.8% for United Healthcare.

Rate increases take place with open enrollment on Nov. 1, 2026. Final numbers await DIFS approval.

This source does not reproduce well, but the PDF is easy access.

https://www.michigan.gov/difs/-/media/Project/Websites/difs/OIRF/EHB/PDFs/2027_Proposed_Rate_Changes.pdf

Note the ideological, authoritarian emphasis on Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). 

https://www.michigan.gov/leo/news/2025/12/18/new-state-report-examines-how-work-impacts-mental-and-physical-health

New state report examines how work impacts mental and physical health

December 18, 2025

Report shows how healthy, safe workplaces support worker well-being, prevent health risks, and help employees stay safe, productive, and succeed on the job

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) released a new Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being report that builds knowledge and offers a comprehensive look at how chronic stress affects a worker’s mental and physical health along with the substantial social and economic burden for employees and employers. The report also includes actionable recommendations aimed at supporting healthy work environments to propel high quality jobs, productivity and a stronger economy in Michigan.

“When employers prioritize mental health, it’s a win-win – employees feel supported, healthier and more engaged at work, and employers see productivity increase and absenteeism decline,” said Susan Corbin, LEO director. “Our latest workplace mental health report shows that investing in healthy work environments delivers real returns for businesses and meaningful benefits for the people in those jobs, expanding economic opportunity and prosperity for all Michiganders.”

Key themes in the report include:

Work as a social determinant of health. Work is an important determinant of worker health that is deeply interconnected with factors (e.g., income, education, access to health care) that have a profound impact in our life trajectories and can impact future generations.

Work-related organizational culture, policies and practices are modifiable. Work is an essential driver of population health and has numerous and cascading impacts on worker’s mental health and well-being. Work-related programs, policies and interventions can be modified to support and improve employees’ health.

Chronic stress can lead to structural and functional changes in the brain, influencing cognitive processes, emotional regulation and overall health. Unsafe, hazardous or chronically stressful work environments can have a negative impact on employees’ quality of life that goes beyond the job.

A healthy workforce is crucial for the social and economic development of Michigan. Investments in employees’ mental health and well-being start by creating high quality jobs and healthy work conditions for all employees.

“The new Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being report expands on our deep foundation of workplace mental health by synthesizing current research on how stress — including stress directly related to work — affects the body and influences long-term health outcomes,” said LEO Office of Labor Deputy Director Sean Egan. “The report highlights that work and health are closely intertwined, noting that employment conditions significantly shape a person’s overall well-being and quality of life.”

Improving employment conditions is an intentional, collaborative effort across workers, businesses, policymakers and academic partners. The report is designed to support the continued development of healthy, resilient workplaces that help build stronger communities throughout Michigan.

Curated by LEO epidemiologist Lisbeth Iglesias alongside Sean Egan, this latest publication builds on LEO’s first workplace mental health report, released in June 2022, which emerged from a months-long workgroup examining the current data on workplace mental health, the impacts of stress and the conditions that contribute to healthier workplaces. Those initial findings and recommendations continue to guide the state’s ongoing implementation plans.

View the report and learn more at www.Michigan.gov/HealthyWorkHealthyMind.

DOC states they've changed how "critical incident deaths" are categorized.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/deaths-in-huron-valley-women-s-prison-at-5-year-high/ar-AA26ywA5

Critical incident deaths in Huron Valley women’s prison at 5-year high

Jordyn Pair    |     July 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from the Michigan Department of Corrections. While the number of deaths reported as critical incidents are up, the overall number of deaths, including those resulting from terminal illnesses, are not.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - A Michigan prison under fire for a slew of recent deaths experienced a five-year peak for natural fatalities classified as critical incidents last year.

The Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility had a total of four deaths in 2025, the highest number of deaths since 2018 and the highest number of natural deaths in a decade, according to critical incident data from the Michigan Department of Corrections.

These numbers do not include deaths that are not classified as critical incidents, expected deaths of prisoners with cancer or terminal conditions.

When looking at the total number of deaths, six were recorded each of the last three years, in 2025, 2024 and 2023. In 2022, there were five and so far this year there have been three, the Department of Corrections reported.

“The department takes the safety and security of those under our supervision very seriously and has comprehensive processes and medical protocols for health emergencies,” the department said in an emailed statement. “This includes processes for assessing patient health by qualified onsite staff, requesting outside emergency medical services if needed, and conducting life-saving measures.”

Thorough investigations are conducted for all unexpected deaths of incarcerated people and all deaths are referred to the medical examiner who will determine whether an autopsy is warranted, if the department has not already requested one, the department reported.

The facility has caught the attention of state officials after three women died suddenly in May and early June.

Ashley Hoath, 36, died June 6 at Trinity Health Hospital several hours after being transferred from the correctional facility’s medical unit, according to a previous statement from Jenni Riehle, public information officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Rebecca Fackler, 57, died on May 17, four days after the death of Khaira Howard, 28. Howard was one of multiple inmates who expressed concern about alleged toxic mold at the prison.

Read more: Women’s Huron Valley warden takes leave amid investigation of 3 inmate deaths

The graph below represents deaths classified as critical incidents. It does not include deaths from terminal illnesses.

Reports for non-assault-based critical incidents, which are published annually, include a variety of data, including the number of suicide attempts, drug overdoses and escape attempts, among fatality information.

There were no homicides and two suicides reported among inmates between 2016 and 2025, according to the critical incident reports.

Across all Department of Corrections facilities, the total number of deaths were up in 2025, to 138 from 125 in 2024. There were 120 recorded in 2023 and in 2022, there were 130, according to the department. So far in 2026, there have been 54.

Mold Quest International, hired as a third-party contractor as part of ongoing litigation related to mold allegations, recently found air quality results were normal at nearly all locations tested, according to previous reporting.

An investigation into the 2026 deaths is ongoing, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office previously said.

This lawsuit may be nothing more than political advertising on the part of our Attorney General:

https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/07/30/ag-nessel-files-lawsuit-against-nursing-home-operator-for-violating-medicaid-false-claim-act

https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=MCL-333-21720A

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/03/2025-21792/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-repeal-of-minimum-staffing-standards-for-long-term-care-facilities

• Ashley Healthcare Center and Riverside Healthcare Center in Gratiot County;
• Heritage Manor Nursing & Rehab Center, Northville Manor, and Pine Creek Manor Skilled Nursing & Rehab Center in Wayne County;
• Lakeside Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center and Regency Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Macomb County; and
• Oakland Manor and Oakridge Manor Nursing & Rehab Center in Oakland County.

At the low end of the PPACA individual market, Priority Health requested 11.1%.  At the high end of the PPACA individual market, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Inc. requested 25.5%.  The average request of the ten insurers was 14.2%.

At the low end of the small group market, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mutual Insurance Company requested 7.0%.  At the high end of the small group market, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Inc. requested 14.8%.  The average request of the eight insurers was 9.6%.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland expects overall inflation in America to be 2.39% during the next 12 months and 2.44% over the next 24 months.

Michigan health care insurance premium inflation is now running four to six times the general rate of national inflation:

https://www.michigan.gov/difs/-/media/Project/Websites/difs/OIRF/EHB/PDFs/2027_Proposed_Rate_Changes.pdf

https://www.clevelandfed.org/-/media/files/webcharts/inflationexpectations/inflation-expectations.xlsx?sc_lang=en&hash=C27818913D96CEDD80E3136B9946CFA7

The DoE summary of their latest rules, published on September 29, 2025:

SUMMARY:

The Department of Education (Department) announces final priorities, requirements, and definitions under the School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) Program, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.184H. We may use one or more of these priorities, requirements, and definitions for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2025 and later years. These final priorities, requirements, and definitions are designed to target activities with the purpose of increasing the number of credentialed school-based mental health services providers, specifically school psychologists, in high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) available to provide mental health services to students. These priorities, requirements, and definitions replace the Notice of Final Priorities, Requirements, and Definitions published in the Federal Register on October 4, 2022 (87 FR 60092). However, those priorities, requirements, and definitions remain in effect for previous grant competitions in which the notices inviting applications (NIAs) were published before the Department finalized the proposed priorities, requirements, and definitions in this notice.

It is not yet clear why the full cabal of 22 Democratic AGs did not sign on to this suit.  Dissention in the ranks?

https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/07/10/ag-nessel-joins-lawsuit-to-prevent-department-of-educations-cuts-to-school-mental-health-grants

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/29/2025-18900/school-based-mental-health-grant-program

AG Nessel Joins Lawsuit to Prevent Department of Education’s Cuts to School Mental Health Grants
By Danny Wimmer - July 10, 2026

LANSING – Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit (PDF) with 14 other attorneys general to prevent the U.S. Department of Education from unlawfully terminating congressionally approved school-based mental health grants. In defiance of a court order, the administration plans to terminate these grants at the end of July, which is projected to cost Michigan schools and universities more than $6 million.

“The federal government should always prioritize the well-being of our students,” said Attorney General Nessel. “Instead, it insists on abandoning schools to combat the mental health crisis alone. The White House is treating children’s lives as disposable by bypassing court orders and unlawfully terminating these grants, but we will do whatever it takes to protect our kids and secure the funds they were promised.”

In the wake of devastating school shootings, members of Congress from both parties came together to appropriate $1 billion to permanently bring 14,000 mental health professionals into U.S. schools most in need, especially in low-income and rural communities. The programs have been an incredible success. In their first year, the programs provided mental and behavioral health services to nearly 775,000 elementary and secondary students nationwide. Sampled projects showed real results: a 50% reduction in suicide risk at high-need schools, decreases in absenteeism and behavioral issues, and increases in positive student-staff engagement.

In April 2025, the department notified grantees in Michigan and the other coalition states that their grants would be discontinued for allegedly conflicting with the Trump administration's new priorities. The department later revealed the grants had been targeted for their perceived support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

In July 2025, Attorney General Nessel joined the coalition in filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against the department over the discontinuation of the grants. In December 2025, the coalition secured an order declaring the department’s discontinuations were unlawful and requiring it to make new continuation decisions. The court also issued a permanent injunction that prohibited the department from implementing the discontinuations “through any means.”

The department has admitted most of the grants should have been continued, but they have nonetheless engaged in an ongoing campaign to hinder, threaten, and ultimately try to eliminate the mental health grants in Michigan and the other coalition states. Although the department issued continuation awards through December 31, 2026, the department only provided funding for approximately seven months, making planning difficult because grantees do not know how much funding they will get for the fall. The department also threatened not to provide funding for the second half of the year and are making grantees jump through unnecessary hoops to access funds—diverting resources and staff from supporting student mental health to filling out superfluous paperwork.

The department claimed it planned to review the grants at the six-month mark and then make additional funding determinations. But instead, the department has targeted the grants protected by the original injunction and announced they plan to terminate the grants altogether at the end of July. By calling this a termination rather than a discontinuation, the administration seeks to circumvent the court’s order, which required them to follow the law with respect to these important mental health grants. Although Attorney General Nessel and the coalition continue to fight this attempt to circumvent the court’s order, they have filed this new lawsuit to prevent these planned terminations and cover any gaps that would threaten these critical grants.

The attorneys general allege that the Department of Education’s plan to terminate the mental health grants violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution. The attorneys general have moved for a preliminary injunction to prevent the grants from being terminated.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/investigations/2026/06/02/agency-handling-protections-for-michigans-mental-health-patients-under-scrutiny/

https://www.house.mi.gov/Document/?DocumentId=69074&DocumentType=CommitteeMeetingMinutes

https://audgen.michigan.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/rs391012024-923483.pdf

https://www.senatormichaelwebber.com/webber-orr-testimony-fails-to-demonstrate-meaningful-change/

Agency handling protections for Michigan’s mental health patients under scrutiny
Office of Recipient Rights director testifies before lawmakers

• Nearly 30% of complaints alleging abuse, neglect, serious injury, or death, were not retrieved or acted on until 2 to 12 days after being filed. The state’s supposed to respond within 24 hours.
• More than 10% of complaints lacked a date stamp, meaning it was impossible to tell if the state’s actions were timely.

• Staff has been trained to date stamp documents when they receive them.
• The Office of Recipient Rights currently have 25 staff members and are looking to get funding to hire 2 more.
• They currently have a goal of transitioning their record-keeping to an electronic system.

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/nurses-aide-convicted-1987-alpine-manor-nursing-home-murders-seeks-clemency-claims-innocence/69-52534ede-8663-41a0-8b48-8c1dd6fcd907

Nurses aide convicted in 1987 Alpine Manor nursing home murders seeks clemency, claims innocence
Convicted of 5 murders nearly 40 years ago, Gwen Graham is seeking clemency, arguing the murders never even happened and the trial was tainted by anti-LGBTQ+ bias.
By Brielle Meyer - May 18, 2026

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Gwen Graham, convicted of five first-degree murders in the deaths of elderly patients at Alpine Manor Nursing Home in Walker nearly 40 years ago, is asking Michigan's governor for clemency, arguing he never committed the crimes at all.

Graham is currently serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole. At the time of the crimes and trial, Graham identified as a woman and went by the name Gwendolyn. He now lives as a transgender man.

The Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School filed the 642-page petition on Graham's behalf in March 2025. WZZM 13 obtained the petition from Graham's attorney, who confirmed its filing.

Graham, now 62, has been incarcerated at Huron Valley Women's Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti since his 1989 conviction on five counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy.

In 1987, Graham and his then-girlfriend, Catherine Wood, were nurses' aides at Alpine Manor Nursing Home in Walker. Five elderly patients, Mae Mason, 79, Edith Cook, 98, Marguerite Chambers, 60, Myrtle Luce, 95, and Belle Burkhard, 74, died between January and April of that year. All were initially ruled to have died of natural causes.

The investigation began more than a year later, when Wood's estranged husband contacted Walker police after Wood told him she and Graham had been smothering patients. Wood eventually entered into a plea agreement, pleading to second-degree murder in exchange for her cooperation and testimony against Graham. She was sentenced to 20 to 40 years.

Graham was convicted largely on the basis of Wood's testimony. Wood testified that Graham suffocated the patients while she acted as a lookout. Graham has maintained his innocence since his arrest.

13 ON YOUR SIDE covered Wood's lengthy parole battle. After being denied parole eight times, Wood was granted parole in 2018. Following a legal challenge by victims' families and a ruling by Kent County Circuit Court Judge J. Joseph Rossi, Wood was released in January 2020 and relocated to South Carolina.

The clemency petition, submitted by the Michigan Innocence Clinic, makes several central allegations and arguments for why Graham's conviction should be overturned and clemency granted:

• No physical evidence. The clinic argues that no physical or forensic evidence has ever supported the conclusion that any murder took place at Alpine Manor. The five women were elderly, seriously ill, and their deaths were not considered suspicious at the time. According to the petition, the nursing home's own medical director testified at trial that there was no unusual uptick in deaths during the period in question.
• Wood's story was fabricated and inconsistent. The petition argues the entire case rests on Wood's account, an account that changed repeatedly during the investigation. At various points, Wood told investigators she alone killed patients, that they killed together, that Graham alone was responsible, and that the total number of victims ranged from five to eight. The petition also argues Wood had a documented pattern of manipulation and fabricating stories, and that coworkers who heard her early claims believed she was playing one of her typical "mind games."
• Dark humor was not a confession. A significant portion of the petition addresses the workplace jokes that became central to the prosecution's case. Graham, Wood and other Alpine Manor staff occasionally made dark, morbid jokes about patient deaths, including jokes inspired by a 1980 horror movie called Motel Hell. The petition argues this kind of gallows humor is well-documented and common in caregiving professions, and does not constitute evidence of criminal behavior.
• Anti-LGBTQ+ bias infected the trial. The petition argues that the 1989 trial took place against a backdrop of rampant homophobia in Michigan and that prosecutors exploited Graham and Wood's relationship to shock the jury in lieu of presenting substantive evidence. Witness after witness was questioned extensively about their sexual relationships with Graham, testimony the clinic argues was irrelevant to murder and served only to inflame prejudice. The petition also argues that media coverage of the case at the time repeatedly centered on Graham and Wood's identity as lesbians in headlines and story framing.
• Graham's record in prison. The petition notes that over 36 years of incarceration, Graham has fewer than one disciplinary write-up per year on average. He tutored fellow prisoners pursuing their GEDs, participated in substance abuse treatment programs and took part in the Prison Creative Arts Project as recently as 2023. The petition also alleges Graham was sexually assaulted by prison staff at Scott Correctional Facility and was a member of a class of plaintiffs in a 1996 lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections over sexual harassment and assault by officers.

These announcements appear frequently in recent appropriation committee hearing agendas.

The process may soon become even more rigorous.

CapCon Weekly Editorial Dispatch email:

Scott McClallen    |    May 22, 2026

Big changes may be coming to Lansing’s earmark process. 

On May 12, the Michigan Court of Claims sided with the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, granting a preliminary injunction that blocks legislators from approving district spending requests unless they clear a constitutionally required two-thirds supermajority in each chamber.

The case stems from a lawsuit filed in May 2025 against the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, targeting grants awarded to private organizations at the behest of individual lawmakers. Among the projects called out: a $1.5 million grant for Jimmy John's Field in Utica and $1 million for Jackson Field in Lansing.

The lawsuit might stop lawmakers from lobbing million-dollar softballs to politically connected and favored private entities, such as baseball stadiums whose owners could easily pay the bills. 

The Michigan Constitution requires a two-thirds supermajority vote before taxpayer dollars flow to private entities. Critics say the earmark process has long bypassed that threshold — bankrolling everything from curling centers and cricket fields to ballet companies and auto shows.

The court carved out exemptions for grants with statewide benefit, such as highway funding and major cultural institutions, though it stopped short of defining those institutions clearly.

James Hohman, the Mackinac Center's fiscal policy director, has argued that if a grant serves the public interest, lawmakers should establish formal criteria and a competitive process — not simply hand money to projects of their own choosing.

Payments on the challenged grants are frozen while the case proceeds toward a final ruling on the merits.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2026/05/13/planned-parenthood-clinics-state-funding/90066532007/

Planned Parenthood: Michigan clinics will close if state doesn't provide $5M
Without a $5 million allocation from the state, Planned Parenthood says it will have to close further locations in Michigan.
By Arpan Lobo - May 13, 2026

Planned Parenthood of Michigan says it will have to close more abortion clinics in the state if it does not receive a one-time, $5 million allocation from the state. The organization is calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to take action, although budgetary process constraints could make the request difficult to fulfill.

During a media call Wednesday, May 13, the organization's leaders said cuts to federal funding for abortion services and reproductive health care under President Donald Trump's administration threaten clinics in Michigan. Without a one-time allocation of $5 million from the state, the organization will have to close additional locations in Michigan, Paula Thornton Greear, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, said in a letter to Whitmer sent Wednesday.

It's not immediately clear what funding pool Whitmer could allocate funds to Planned Parenthood from. Typically, state dollars are earmarked for spending through the budget process, when the governor and each chamber of the Michigan Legislature hash out a spending plan. Any supplemental spending would also have to go through the Legislature, where Democrats control the Senate and Republicans control the House. It's not likely the House would support state funding for Planned Parenthood.

"Gov. Whitmer is one of the country's greatest champions for reproductive freedom. Under the Michigan Constitution, the Legislature has the responsibility to allocate state funds," Stacey LaRouche, Whitmer's press secretary, told the Detroit Free Press over email Wednesday. "We would encourage any organization or individual to work with the Legislature on their budget asks."

Thornton Greear said other governors have maneuvered one-time funding to their Planned Parenthood affiliates, noting a $4 million earmark for Planned Parenthood in Illinois authorized by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

"We urge the governor to pursue every pathway," Thornton Greear said, calling for "urgency and creativity."

"The specific mechanism matters less than the outcome at this point."

Currently, Planned Parenthood has 10 health centers in Michigan where patients can receive reproductive healthcare, including medication and in-clinic abortions. The group closed health centers in Jackson, Marquette and Petoskey and consolidated its two Ann Arbor locations last year, also citing cuts in federal funding.

Grant funding through the federal Title X program has undergone a shift since Trump returned to office for a second, non-consecutive term early last year. Title X provides federal funding for family planning for low-income and uninsured individuals, according to KFF, and hundreds of abortion providers throughout the country rely on the funding.

In March, Democrats in Congress warned U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in a letter that providers would face a funding cliff under changes to grant guidelines made by the department, NPR reported.

Thornton Greear said Wednesday a $5 million allocation from the state would cover services through October, when the next round of Title X funding is expected. But Planned Parenthood of Michigan cannot afford to hang on that long, and Michiganders would lose access to reproductive care without state relief, she said.

"Without state action, we will be forced to make decisions about our footprint that cannot be undone," Thornton Greear told reporters.