Bridge Listens Issues Watch recap: What do Michigan voters think of health care?

Bridge Michigan’s monthly reader discussions continued Wednesday with a conversation about Michigan’s health care problems
Cost and affordability, cuts to Medicaid, mental health access and service challenges in rural areas were discussed
Bridge is asking readers to nominate their top issues for the 2026 election

Bridge Michigan explored the state’s myriad health concerns — rising costs, reduced workforce capacity and cuts to Medicaid — during a Wednesday evening Issues Watch event.

The program, the second of Bridge’s election season virtual events, featured reporters Eli Newman, Robin Erb and Simon D. Schuster. They were joined by a physician and a patient, both Bridge readers, who spoke about their experience living and working in rural communities and the deficiencies at play there.

This week, Bridge reporters explored many of the issues facing Michigan’s health care system and how leading candidates for governor plan to fix those problems. Bridge also highlighted the challenges families face in addressing mental health crises and how critics are responding to troubling conditions in the state’s nursing homes, which Bridge chronicled in a recent investigation.

Wednesday’s discussion was part of Bridge Listens, an effort to hear directly from readers about their pressing issues in the 2026 election. Nearly 2,800 people responded to the first round of surveys. Now, Bridge is asking readers to narrow the list from about 30 topics to the top three issues using this nomination form.

You can watch Wednesday’s full discussion here.

Next month’s Issues Watch discussion, scheduled for May 27, will focus on energy and the environment in Michigan.

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Bridge has also recently hosted virtual discussions covering topics including schools, nursing homes, opioid settlement funds, the state’s population crisis, youth mental health, voter issues, the marijuana industry, gun violence, the collapse of whitefish in the lower Great Lakes, tourism , deer hunting and industrial pollution.

Bridge Club members are notified of future events from our nonprofit newsroom and receive member-exclusive benefits such as free Bridge event tickets, copies of our bimonthly Bridge Culture Club selections and more. Member support allows us to offer engagement opportunities like this Issues Watch series. To stay up-to-date on upcoming events and Bridge Michigan’s reporting, sign up for any of our free email newsletters, including our twice-weekly Health Watch newsletter.