Michigan Senate Democrats passed legislation on Thursday to rein in skyrocketing health insurance costs for educators and other public employees. While the GOP-controlled House is unlikely to take up the bill, the Senate’s action makes it clear that educators’ fight for more affordable healthcare is not over — but it does hinge on the result of this November’s state elections.

The legislation, Senate Bill 1136, is similar to legislation the then-Democratic House and Senate passed at the end of 2024, which was then held up in court before the governor vetoed it in July.

“At a time when the cost of just about everything is going up, and wages are failing to keep up with rampant inflation, working families are struggling to make ends meet,” said Sen. Kevin Hertel, a Democrat from St. Clair Shores and primary sponsor of SB 1136. “And for our teachers, police officers and firefighters, outdated laws are making matters worse — forcing them to spend more of their hard-earned paychecks on health insurance. Michiganders deserve some relief, and that’s what this legislation is — a commonsense step to put more money back in the pockets of the people who work hard to serve our community.”

The legislation aims to fix Public Act 152 of 2011, a Snyder-era attack on educators that placed a “hard cap” on how much employers can pay toward health care costs for teachers, school support staff, and other public employees. The hard cap has not kept up with inflation, forcing school employees to shoulder an increasing share of the financial burden. As a result, educators must pay hundreds of dollars more out of each paycheck for their share of insurance premiums — or accept cheaper insurance with much higher deductibles, co-insurance charges from providers and reduced coverage.

The original legislation, House Bill 6058, introduced by Rep. Mai Xiong, D-Warren, passed the Legislature in December 2024. But upon taking the gavel a few weeks later, House Speaker Matt Hall refused to deliver the bill to the governor for more than 18 months, until the state Supreme Court forced him to on July 10. Referencing the House’s delay and technicalities, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed the legislation the same day it reached her desk.

In the meantime, everyday school employees continue to struggle with ever-increasing health insurance premiums that continue to rise at a faster rate than the state-imposed hard cap. More and more educators are being forced to decide whether to continue in the profession they love — despite the financial hardships — or look for other work in the private sector.

Xiong, who has introduced a House version of the new legislation, said in a statement: “I am committed to helping move forward the Senate version of my legislation, which would deliver immediate financial relief for the workers who dedicate their lives to teaching our children and keeping our communities safe.”

MEA member Jamie Hilliard, a veteran teacher in Warren Consolidated Schools, recently told the Macomb Daily that she expects to spend around $10,000 this year on healthcare for herself, her husband and their two children — and that’s just for deductibles and co-insurance, as her premiums have also increased.

“I’m seeing significantly less in my paycheck,” Hilliard explained.

Despite the delays, uncertainty, hardships and setbacks, pro-education lawmakers haven’t given up — and neither will our union.

Please follow this link to contact your legislators and the governor to urge swift passage of this new legislation. Please customize the message to explain how increased out-of-pocket insurance costs are affecting you and your family.

Whether it’s now or in 2027 with newly elected lawmakers, addressing this crisis for educators is a top priority for MEA members.

“On behalf of educators throughout our state, we want to thank Senate Democrats for keeping the issue of school employees’ artificially high healthcare costs front and center,” said MEA President and CEO Chandra Madafferi, a veteran teacher from Oakland County. “We are urging lawmakers to reform the state’s ‘hard cap’ law and allow schools to offer better salaries and health coverage to their educators, so we can keep the best and brightest working in our kids’ schools and helping students succeed.”