Lawrence faults Barrett over Medicaid cuts, renews Medicare for All push

Just over 12 hours after declaring victory in the Democratic primary, political organizer William Lawrence was back on the campaign trail, gathering outside of the University of Michigan Health – Sparrow Hospital in Lansing with healthcare providers and residents slated to feel the impact from changes to Medicaid through the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, individuals enrolled in Medicaid, which provides health coverage to people with limited income, will be required to provide proof of 80 hours per month of employment, community service, work program participation or at least half-time enrollment in education in order to receive benefits. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also requires Medicaid recipients to redetermine their eligibility every six months, rather than once a year.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, sponsored by congressional Republicans and signed by President Donald Trump in 2025, will increase the number of uninsured individuals in the U.S. by 10 million by 2034, with coverage losses from the work requirements accounting for 5.3 million of those losses.

The health professionals joining Lawrence at his Wednesday press conference warned that these restrictions would limit access for individuals who would otherwise be unable to obtain healthcare. 

Without this access Ashley Myers, a registered nurse who lives in Clinton County, warned that individuals would forgo care from their primary health provider, leading to increased visits to hospitals’ emergency departments, increasing costs on all patients, not just Medicaid recipients. 

Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals must provide emergency care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay. However, increased instances of uninsured care lead to increased costs for hospitals and higher insurance premiums.

“Just over a year ago, in July of 2025, I watched along with everybody here as Tom Barrett and the Republican Party took an ax to our health care system, kicked millions of people off of their coverage, and raised prices for tens of millions more,” Lawrence said. “Then I saw the fear and the stress in the eyes of the people I began to meet on the campaign trail, wondering when the next shoe was going to drop and when their coverage was going to cut out, and what would happen to them and their families then.”

Lawrence, who is trying to unseat Congressman Barrett in November, noted his support for Medicare for All to address these concerns. 

“Every other wealthy nation on this planet guarantees health care to every man, woman, and child.” Lawrence said. “In the richest country in the world, here in the United States, there is no reason why we should have health insurance CEOs making millions, in some cases billions of dollars, while ordinary people are going into medical debt just to stay alive and care for their families.”

However, Barrett criticized Lawrence’s approach in a statement, arguing it would only serve to drive up health costs, pointing to his own legislative proposals to improve health access.

“In Congress, I have fought the big insurance companies who are putting profits and executive bonuses over their patients,” Barrett said, noting that he had also introduced legislation to improve drug price transparency and a bill to codify President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs in the U.S. at prices comparable to those in other countries.

Lawrence countered that the One Big Beautiful Bill and Republicans’ decision not to renew tax credits on Affordable Care Act premiums have already increased health costs. 

According to KFF, premium payments for those with insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace have increased by an average of 58% per month, with the average deductible increasing by 37%. 

“Barrett has no ground to speak about the interests of the district when it comes to health care policy because all people have seen is their bills increase and their health care become less secure under his term in office,” Lawrence said.