The representative who voted to take away health care from nearly 14,000 Michiganders in his district has been dodging constituents’ questions and town halls since 2024.
President Donald Trump’s Republican-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was signed into law on the Fourth of July. It cuts taxes for billionaires and the wealthiest people in the US, and is projected to create a $1.1 billion annual budget shortfall for the state, with an estimated 700,000 Medicaid beneficiaries losing coverage across the Mitten.
Local health officials warned that Medicaid cuts could overwhelm rural hospitals and disrupt care for seniors and low-income families. Despite these concerns, several Michigan Republicans—including Rep. Tom Barrett, who represents Clinton, Ingham, Livingston, Shiawassee, and parts of Eaton, Genesee, and Oakland counties—voted to support the tax bill.
Barrett’s decision to support the bill, which he called a “pro-growth policy,” will result in thousands of his constituents losing access to health care through Medicaid, and soaring premiums, deductibles, and co-pays for other Michiganders who aren’t on Medicaid.
Related: Trump’s tax bill passed—How many Michiganders will lose Medicaid benefits?
How many people will lose Medicaid benefits in mid-Michigan?
In Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, which includes Clinton, Ingham, Livingston, Shiawassee, and portions of Eaton, Genesee, and Oakland counties, 135,100 residents are enrolled in Medicaid—around 17% of the district’s population. They’re from St. Johns, Lansing, Charlotte, Brighton and other nearby towns.
Under Trump’s tax bill, which introduces strict work requirements and paperwork verification for Medicaid enrollees, many adults will be forced to prove they meet certain criteria every six months—particularly impacting low-income populations like the working class, seniors, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas.
The work requirements target people whose working hours fluctuate from week to week, whose school schedules change from term to term, or who are newly out of work. They’ll especially impact employees working for small businesses, and in hospitality, retail, or gig work.
They’ll also seriously affect older adults—who are less likely to be employed consistently and face more difficulties finding new work due to age discrimination—and family caregivers.
Michigan has experience with this. In 2018, then-Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, signed similarly restrictive requirements into law. The state spent over $30 million implementing them, and the requirements lasted around two months before a federal judge blocked them, ruling them unlawful.
Experts have found that many people who will lose Medicaid as a result of these latest cuts will do so because of administrative burdens—not ineligibility.
At least 14,000 enrollees in District 7 are at risk
In Rep. Barrett’s district, at least 14,000 Medicaid enrollees are at risk of losing coverage altogether, resulting in an estimated 44 extra deaths per year, according to the Center for American Progress.
Additionally, the “big beautiful bill” formally ends a variety of federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a result, Michiganders who get their health care through the federal marketplace—like the 43,200 ACA adult residents in District 7—are set to see their premiums increase by over $700 a year, according to estimates released by state officials.
Michiganders have tried to hold Rep. Barrett accountable for his decisions, but he has been dodging questions and town halls since his re-election in 2024. However, the Congressman—who plans to run again for his seat in 2026—will have to face his constituents sooner or later, especially with several potential candidates eyeing his position.
