In his recent remarks, Rogers also proposed a way to boost staffing at federally qualified health centers, which are designed to affordably treat the poor but struggle to recruit doctors, calling them \u201cone of those government programs that actually functions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy argument is, if you work for five years at a federally qualified health care center, we\u2019ll pay off your student debt for doctors,\u201d Rogers said, arguing the health centers keep the poor out of more costly emergency room visits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rogers\u2019 campaign did not directly respond to requests for clarification about his remarks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMike Rogers is exploring ideas with voters to increase affordability of health care, whether that\u2019s investing in rural hospitals, ensuring the wealthiest Americans cover their own copays, or improving transparency and access,\u201d communications director Alyssa Brouille said in a statement that blamed Democrats for high health care prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Preventive care costs<\/p>\n
In the event with supporters, Rogers likened free preventive care \u2014 as guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act \u2014 to \u201can auto insurance plan that would pay for your blinker\u2019s light going out.\u201d That would be a great insurance plan, but one that would cost drivers more, he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to start changing the way we look at health care,\u201d Rogers said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/trump-mike-rogers-schanz.jpg\")
US Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who\u2019s been endorsed by President Donald Trump, is floating new health care reform proposals.(Chris Schanz for Bridge Michigan) <\/p>\n
A major provision of the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to provide certain preventive care services, such as blood pressure, diabetes and cancer screenings \u2014 notably at no cost to the patient.<\/p>\n
Dr. Mark Fendrick, who directs the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan, said that when physicals and screening have out-of-pocket costs, people get them less.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur work shows very clearly that even increasing cost sharing by a few dollars leads to decreased utilization of services,\u201d Fendrick said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Fendrick also acknowledged Rogers \u201cis exactly right\u201d when he suggested free preventive services increase costs, though it\u2019s something Fendrick has strongly advocated for for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the short term, costs go down\u201d if you charge copays for preventive care, Fendrick noted, but overall, \u201cthe health of individuals and populations get worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anand Parekh, chief policy officer at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, argued that if people skip preventive care because of costs, undiagnosed chronic diseases can spiral out of control and require expensive treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe end up paying for more costly care for things that could have been prevented, or at least treated at less expense,\u201d said Parekh, who played a role in formulating the Affordable Care Act\u2019s prevention initiatives.<\/p>\n
Preventive care is considered by health-experts a \u201chigh-value\u201d medical service, meaning it can do a lot to improve health at relatively low cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To curb costs, Fendrick urged policymakers to instead focus on \u201cunnecessary care,\u201d such as lots of lab tests and \u201cCT scans for uncomplicated back pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Catastrophic funds\u2019<\/p>\n
In his remarks, Rogers also suggested the federal government establish \u201ccatastrophic funds\u201d to lower premiums, appearing to embrace the concept of high-risk pools while noting \u201cthe sickest part of our society ends up consuming the most\u201d medical services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019re going to pay our premium based on what a normal life would be, not including these people who are really, really sick,\u201d Rogers said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe take the really sick people and put them in this fund that we all pay a little bit. The government pays, the hospital pays, Medicare would pay a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the ACA, nearly three dozen states had high-risk pools for people with significant medical needs who couldn\u2019t otherwise get insurance. The ACA essentially eliminated the need for those pools by mandating insurers cover patients with pre-existing conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
High-risk pools can reduce premium payments for healthier patients \u2014 that\u2019s true, Parekh told Bridge. But it also leaves sicker, higher-risk patients whose expensive care will require \u201csignificant\u201d subsidies, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis turns out to be expensive for consumers and government,\u201d said Parekh, who also served as the chief medical advisor at the Washington-based Bipartisan Policy Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Returning to high-risk pool policies would be \u201cjust so crazy,\u201d said Fendrick, telling Bridge the pools are among a series of ideas \u201cthat have been floated around conceptually for decades, but never had the policy or political chops behind\u201d them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where Democrats stand<\/p>\n
Rogers\u2019 comments are marked contrast from the ongoing health care debate in the competitive Democratic US Senate primary\u00a0<\/p>\n
In that three-way race between US Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul-El-Sayed, the debate is not whether to restrict coverage, but how far to expand it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
McMorrow and El-Sayed have publicly feuded<\/a> over each other\u2019s stances on a policy known as Medicare for All, a proposal where all Americans would be covered under a single federal insurance program.\u00a0<\/p>\n El-Sayed had long called for the program to be single-payer, where every person is enrolled by default, while McMorrow prefers a public option, allowing people to opt in or stick with private health insurance plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n McMorrow has accused El-Sayed of \u201cflip-flopping<\/a>\u201d on his stance by saying he\u2019d support supplementary private coverage, while El-Sayed asserted McMorrow \u201ccopies my homework, just poorly<\/a>\u201d on issues like health care by taking a more moderate stance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stevens, meanwhile, has called for expanding the ACA as it exists now, without providing more detail. She had previously called<\/a> for Medicare for All.<\/p>\n Reporter Robin Erb contributed<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
![\"Creative](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1754973788_72_cc-by-nd-4.0.png\"\/)
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