"The right to criticize government is also an obligation to know what you are talking about."

-Lent Upson, first director of Citizens Research Council

Special Biweekly Edition

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November 25, 2025

We invite all to join us for a webinar next Wednesday, December 3, to discuss the findings of the new Social Determinants of Health report.  No single solution exists to improve Michigan’s residents' financial resources, but there are wide-ranging ideas across the political spectrum. Any sustained progress on this front will be the product of tradeoffs and deliberation from many stakeholders who recognize the connection between improving financial resources and health outcomes in the state. 

Last week, the Research Council published The Social Determinants of Health: Pathways to a Healthier Michigan, a comprehensive paper that unveils novel findings on what policymakers should focus on to address the poor health of Michigan’s residents while also addressing economic and educational issues. The solutions, while not easy, fortunately overlap with other shared goals. The key to making the population healthier is a better education system and a more robust, fairer economy. The precise policies that take the state from here to there are up for debate, but the pathways it needs to follow to connect public policy to health outcomes are clear.

Other Recent Council Reports:

• Outline of the Michigan Tax System - 39th edition
• Unpacking the FY2026 State Budget: Six Things You Should Know
• Evaluating Local-Option Admission Taxes in Michigan Cities

Guy sits down with Karley Abramson, research associate for health policy and author of the most recent Council Report, Social Determinants of Health: Pathways to a Healthier Michigan, which drills down to root causes of why Michiganders suffer from worse health outcomes than residents in similar, neighboring states and even across the U.S. and the globe. They also touch on what can be done about it.

Find all #FactsMatter podcasts on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts. Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE 😉!

Report: Aging crisis to cause Michigan to lose out on economic boom, The Manchester Mirror (November 24)

Detroit’s go-to tax deals for developers on the brink of vanishing, Detroit Free Press (November 21)

Report: Michigan’s Economy Might Be Hurting Health Outcomes, Michigan News Source (Nov. 20)

Michigan establishes disclosure requirements for earmarks in state budget, Detroit Free Press (November 19)

Michigan’s poor health tied to income gaps more than insurance, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business (November 19)

Research group says financial resources are central to Michigan’s lagging health outcomes, Detroit News (November 19)

Michigan research council says financial stability is key to improving residents’ health, WZMQ TV19 (November 19)

Eric Lupher-The WILS Morning Wake-Up, 1320WILS (November 19)

Why do Michiganders have worse health outcomes? Study points to financial resources, WZZM TV13 (November 18)

Michigan’s health is poor. Can better transportation, food and schools fix it? Bridge Michigan (November 18)

Michigan health outcomes lag due to economic factors, new report shows, MLive (November 18)

Report concludes that financial resources are the biggest driver of Michigan health outcomes, Michigan Advance (November 18)

Michigan’s health is falling behind, new report warns — and financial insecurity is to blame, Planet Detroit (November 18)

CRC report: Progress on education, growing people’s income levels are key to helping drive improved health outcomes, Gongwer News (November 18)

It Costs Money to be Healthy, CRC Report Concludes, MIRS News (November 18)

State requiring more from largest farms on how they dispose of their millions of tons of manure, Detroit Free Press (November 17)

Michigan Should Consider Joining or Creating a Health Alliance, Michigan Business Network (November 17)

Michigan lawmakers end last-minute budget earmarks with new transparency rules, Crain’s Detroit Business (November 13)