Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed 16 new bills on Tuesday, including a party-line measure that will require health insurers to cover cover contraception in the state.
In addition to the headline grabbing measure, Whitmer signed another party-line measure, HB 5436, that will allow pharmacists and not just doctors to prescribe birth control. Democrats claim there’s a shortage of OB/GYNS in Michigan (Yes, there is, I checked), and giving pharmacists this authority would enable more women to actually get the birth control that health insurers are now obligated to cover.
There are a number of other measures she signed, many of which passed with strong bipartisan support, but others that didn’t.
For example, HB525 requires health insurance companies to give customers rebates if they don’t spend the minimum amount on care.
Republicans mostly opposed the measure, Democrats supported it, and Whitmer signed the bill. More on that in the 2028 take way.
2028 TAKE-AWAY: Of course, Whitmer can add many of these measures to her list of things she’s accomplished to enhance access to reproductive care, but I’d like to mention something.
As we’ve seen since Roe’s reversal, abortion is a winning electoral issue for Democrats, but not enough to tip the scales at the presidential level (see Harris, Kamala).
However, abortion remains a complicated issue for many Americans, and they are already quite aware of party differences. It would be smarter, politically, for Democrats to focus on other aspects of their reproductive agenda that might garner far more support, and help with an overall message that they care about more than just the right to abortion.
For example, take the law requiring that insurers cover contraception. It’s a measure that doesn’t have even have the word abortion in it (except that fewer abortions would take place with more contraception) and it combines two things that most Americans are on board with: health insurers covering more things + greater access to birth control.
In fact, 71% of Americans support OTC birth control options (which is even more ambitious than Whitmer’s bill enabling pharmacists to Rx it), including a large majority of Republicans. Slam dunk issue.
Or, for example, HB5826, which incentivizes training to become a doula – a specialty any woman who’s given birth certainly knows of, and someone any pregnant mom would most certainly love to have at her side. Republicans mostly opposed the bill, while Democrats and Whitmer supported it.
If Whitmer and Democrats were to build a more nuts and bolts, kitchen table policy on this (and many other issues) it might add meat to the bones they’re desperately lacking right now in terms of messaging – the idea that Democrats care more about the people than the insurance companies or the money.
Democrats can start to move the needle on a narrative change through less talk on abortion and more talk on expanding access to birth control and incentivizing doulas.
Finally, the biggest slam dunk issue in all 16 bills she signed is the measure designed to give customers rebates on money they didn’t use on their insurance coverage. Insurance companies might have every reason to balk (they need to make a profit), but if it’s a question of electoral politics, it’s a winner.
Will any Democrat figure this out before 2028 or will they just remain content to be the “abortion party” and leave it at that?
If Whitmer were smart about it, she’d talk the insurance side of things more.
Here she is on X, talking about her moves.
3️⃣0️⃣ states already allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives. This is a commonsense policy that’s good for patients and providers. pic.twitter.com/7QEozjFkL3
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) January 21, 2025
