9/29/2025

MICHIGAN - In Michigan, children’s health coverage is slipping just as it is nationally, according to a recent report from the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. The report shows the uninsured rate among kids climbed across the U-S from just over five percent in 2022 to six percent in 2024 - and the state saw a statistically significant increase among its youth as well. Amber Bellazaire with the Michigan League for Public Policy says there are practical steps the state can take to make it easier for families to keep their children covered.

           0:10 "Simplifying the process, automating certain things, self-attestation for folks who are submitting paperwork and all the rest. That tends to make it a little bit less cumbersome for families."

The center says many kids who lost coverage were probably still eligible but got tripped up by red tape. With extra marketplace subsidies set to expire, the risks for Michigan families could grow. However, experts stress streamlining the process and keeping those subsidies in place can help kids stay covered. The center's report also shows states that used smoother renewal systems fared better; those that struggled saw more dramatic coverage losses. Joan Alker with Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families warns lapses in health coverage can have serious consequences for kids and their parents.

             0:11 "An accident on the playground or untreated asthma can result in trips to the emergency room, which costs thousands of thousands of dollars, potentially sending families into debt and bankruptcy."

Michigan now joins more than 20 states with statistically significant increases in uninsured children. Georgetown says monitoring monthly state enrollment data and improving renewal systems will be key to preventing further losses.

9/29/2025

N. WISCONSIN - Monarch butterflies have begun their two-and-a-half-month migration from northern breeding grounds to Central Mexico, with recent sightings in Wisconsin…

a journey timed with Dia de Los Muertos. Karen Oberhauser, a professor emerita, notes the celebration’s timing, though likely coincidental, creates a meaningful connection, symbolizing rebirth. Only “super generation” monarchs, 2% to 5% of eggs and caterpillars, complete this arduous, thousands-of-miles journey, weighing as little as a paper clip. Mortality is high, making it “an incredible story of survival against incredible odds.” Monarchs use day length as a migration cue, though climate change can pose threats. Some monarchs are now joining nonmigratory populations along the Gulf Coast, but most still complete the full migration to Mexico.

9/29/2025

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The former state economic development director for Wisconsin is running for governor as a Democrat, promising to reject “divisive politics.” Missy Hughes is joining an already crowded field of Democrats for the open seat in the battleground state. The primary is just under 11 months away.  Hughes is pitching herself as “not a politician,” even though she spent the past six years leading the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation as part of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers administration. Evers is not seeking a third term and has not endorsed anyone in the governor’s race.