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  • ANTI-WORKER HOUSE BUDGET WOULD DEEPEN MICHIGAN’S HEALTHCARE CRISIS; HEALTHCARE WORKERS MOBILIZING AS STATE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS

***PRESS RELEASE***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, August 29, 2025

CONTACT: Daniel Hopkins, (989) 387-1226, daniel.hopkins@seiuhealthcaremi.org

DETROIT, MI —  With just weeks until Michigan’s October 1 budget deadline and following the passage of the House Majority’s anti-worker budget, SEIU Healthcare Michigan members are ramping up a statewide campaign to defend patients, protect Medicaid, and demand a pro-worker budget that invests in care.

Among other harmful provisions, the budget passed by the anti-worker House Majority attacks healthcare by:

  • Slashing pay for nursing home and home care workers by eliminating the wage passthrough program, a lifeline for already underpaid and overworked caregivers. SEIU Healthcare Michigan estimates that full-time nursing home workers would lose up to $7,000 annually, creating a staffing and care crisis in facilities already struggling to operate, especially in rural areas. 
  • Cutting critical funding for hospitals, threatening patient access and quality of care.
  • Refusing to fund the Home Help Caregiver Council created under Senate Bill 790, passed in 2024, which was designed to provide training and educational opportunities for home care workers. 

“Every day I care for patients who rely on Medicare and Medicaid,” said Hailey Olsick, a registered nurse at McLaren Bay Region in Bay City and a member of SEIU Healthcare Michigan. “These budget cuts aren’t just numbers on a page. They would mean fewer nurses at the bedside, longer waits for essential treatment, and real harm to families and members of my community who already struggle to access the healthcare they need. Our patients deserve dignity, safety, and compassion, not deeper cuts to the care that keeps them alive.”

“I already struggle to make ends meet on extremely low wages,” said Cynthia Posey, a CNA at Hamilton Nursing Home in Detroit and a member of SEIU Healthcare Michigan. “Now some politicians in Lansing want to cut my pay even more. We do this work because we care about our patients and want to give them the best possible care, but cuts like this will make it nearly impossible.”

By failing to protect Medicaid funding, the House’s budget would deepen Michigan’s healthcare crisis. Facilities would be even more understaffed, workers would be pushed beyond the breaking point, and hundreds of thousands of Michiganders would lose coverage, according to an analysis by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. Coupled with rising health insurance costs due to harmful federal policies, as reported by The Century Foundation, working families already struggling to make ends meet will face even greater burdens.

The harm goes far beyond healthcare. The House Majority’s offensive budget proposes deep cuts to schools and other essential services, creating ripple effects across every community.

In response, SEIU Healthcare Michigan members are launching a month-long campaign to make sure lawmakers get the message: protect Medicaid funding, invest in care, and stand with healthcare workers. The campaign includes weekly trips to the State Capitol, call-in days, and a postcard campaign. Workers will meet directly with lawmakers in Lansing and make their voices heard about how a bad budget would devastate communities across the state. 

“We are fighting for every patient in Michigan to get the care they need and for every healthcare worker to be respected, protected, and paid fairly,” said Ravina Turner, a home care worker from Dearborn Heights organizing to join SEIU Healthcare Michigan. “This fight is about the future of care in our state, and we are not backing down.”

To schedule an interview with a healthcare worker that would be impacted by the House Majority’s budget, contact Daniel Hopkins at daniel.hopkins@seiuhealthcaremi.org.

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