Whitmer’s MDHHS declares Wayne County ‘partially rural’ so federal rural healthcare funds can be diverted there

Coming from rural Allegan County with all its beauty, honesty, and abysmal healthcare access, all I can say is - of course they did!

https://www.themidwesterner.news/2026/01/whitmers-mdhhs-declares-wayne-county-partially-rural-so-federal-rural-healthcare-funds-can-be-diverted-there/

Whitmer’s MDHHS declares Wayne County ‘partially rural’ so federal rural healthcare funds can be diverted there

Rep. Cavitt: 'Southeast Michigan has never seen a dollar it didn’t want to siphon off'

By Travers Koory    |    January 24, 2026

House Republicans on Thursday slammed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Department of Health and Human Services over designations for Oakland and Wayne counties that could unlock federal healthcare funding meant for rural communities.

The issue came to light in the House Appropriations Committee during a presentation from DHHS Senior Deputy Director Beth Nagel on Wednesday that depicted the metro-area counties as “partially rural,” which allows the department to distribute funds from the federal Rural Health Transformation program.

“If you Google the definition of ‘rural,’ it describes low population density, open land, and agriculture,” state Rep. Jennifer Wortz, R–Quincy, said in a statement. “Apparently, Director Elizabeth Hertel hasn’t bothered to check. Declaring Michigan’s two largest counties ‘partially rural’ so they can access funding intended for communities like mine is completely insane. It begs the question of what backroom deals were made with large urban hospitals to push this policy through.”

Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, shared the same perspective, describing the designations as “an insult to rural Michigan.”

“When Lansing talks about being ‘inclusive,’ too often it means Northern communities get left behind,” he said in a statement. “For DHHS to suggest that Wayne County deserves rural funding an insult to everyone who lives North of Clare. Southeast Michigan has never seen a dollar it didn’t want to siphon off.

“Wayne County has a population of more than a million people, multiple universities, nationally recognized hospitals, and an army of grant writers,” Cavitt added. “Alcona County has about 10,000 residents and one high school. We simply can’t compete on those terms.”

Cavitt noted the program created by President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is designed to provide healthcare relief to rural communities, with states sharing $10 billion in grants annually.

Despite ranking as a top 10 state for rural population, Michigan secured just $173.1 million through the program, among the bottom 10 states. States including Iowa and Ohio landed more than $200 million, a difference Republicans point to as evidence Whitmer’s DHHS did not adequately prepare its application for the federal funds.

Cavitt further criticized the department for shaving nearly $19 million from the state’s allocation for administrative costs, which included $2 million for salaries, benefits, and travel for a dozen position – a cost of $170,000 per employee.

Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, argued DHHS “woefully missed the mark” both in how DHHS defined rural eligibility and how it advocated for Michigan during the federal application process.

“If Lansing bureaucrats are prepared to label Detroit as ‘rural,’ then the state has effectively abandoned any meaningful definition of rural life,” the Upper Peninsula lawmaker said. “If Greektown now meets the definition of country, Delta County must be considered rugged wilderness.”

“Once again, rural Michigan – and especially the Upper Peninsula – is shoved aside by Lansing bureaucrats,” Prestin said. “Big population centers muscle their way to the front of the line for dollars that were meant for rural communities, leaving the people who actually need them with little more than leftovers.”

Republicans noted the Rural Health Transformation funding comes with a claw back provision that allows the federal government to reclaim the money if an investigation reveals it wasn’t spent as intended, and called on DHHS to revise its framework as the department moves to award and distribute funds by December.

Rep. Donavan McKinney, D-Detroit, pushed back on his GOP colleagues during Wednesday’s committee hearing, arguing Wayne County is partially rural and should be eligible for the federal funds, despite DHHS identifying just 100 county residents in rural areas.

“We do have rural communities in Wayne County, contrary to belief, because I know Wayne County is the most populous county in our state. However, we do have those folks in need in those smaller communities.”