Seeing a doctor in America comes with numerous costs—the wait for an appointment, the hours on hold with insurance, the pit-in-your-stomach feeling when the bill finally lands and it is a lot more than you expected. 

Now, millions of Americans are bracing for another cost they did not see coming. 

The federal subsidies that have lowered health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act are set to expire next year and if they do, premium costs could rise by hundreds of dollars a month. 

Healthcare subsidies have been a key point of contention during the government shutdown. Last night, seven Democrats and one independent joined Republicans in a Senate vote that paves the way for an end to the shutdown—but not an end to the debate on healthcare subsidies. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to allow a vote in December on the expiring tax credits. 

Meanwhile, here in Michigan, the uncertainty comes on top of another shakeup: some insurers are leaving the state’s individual marketplace, and thousands of people are suddenly searching for new coverage.

But some doctors are rejecting the traditional insurance model altogether. Their alternative is called direct primary care, a type of subscription-based service where patients pay a flat monthly fee and receive care when needed — no billing codes, no middlemen. 

Dr. Paul Thomas brought this model to Detroit a decade ago with Plum Health. His clinics promise same-day visits, transparent pricing, and time to actually talk with your doctor.

Thomas joined Robyn Vincent to discuss how he believes this model could help heal America’s broken healthcare system.

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Voters across Michigan wrapped up a midterm election yesterday that, for many, began weeks earlier during the state’s early voting window. For voters with physical disabilities, the right to cast a ballot is protected in state law and under federal protections like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Help America Vote Act. 

Yet audits in metro Detroit have repeatedly found the opposite on the ground. Last year, Detroit Disability Power reported that only 13% of polling places were fully accessible across nearly 300 sites. The Metro’s pre-election coverage highlighted widespread problems with entrances and accessible voting machines in metro Detroit. 

On the heels of the midterm election, The Metro team wondered: What did access for disabled voters look like during early voting and on Election Day? 

Eric Welsby, policy and advocacy lead at Detroit Disability Power, joined Robyn Vincent to discuss the persistent barriers he observed, and what can be done about it.

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It’s Election Day in America, and once again, the question is what kind of country do we want to be?

In state after state, new voting laws have made it harder to cast a ballot. Meanwhile, election workers across the country face threats and trust in the process is eroding.

But there is also new energy and a strong current of change moving through the country. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, leads the mayor’s race. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed and Mallory McMorrow are pushing bold, grassroots campaigns. Progressives like Omar Fateh and Katie Wilson are gaining traction in Minneapolis and Seattle, respectively.

Their popularity says something: voters want affordable housing, clean water, buses that run, health care that works, food that is fresh and cheap. And that demand, more than any single race, may be democracy’s last line of defense.

So today, as Americans vote, The Metro’s Robyn Vincent turns to E.J. Dionne, a New York Times columnist and Brookings scholar, to help read this moment and unpack what it tells us about the future of American democracy.

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There are about 2,200 urban gardens across Detroit. In a place with a lot of empty tracts,  that can be a great use of land. 

And, over the past few years, the city has done things to assist the people who tend to it. There’s now an entire department dedicated to the inner workings of urban farmers. 

Recently, the city alongside the Eastern Market Partnership are collaborating to offer $225,000 in grant funding to Detroit-based farmers.

But even with the new dollars being made available, preserving and expanding farms can be challenging because upkeep can be costly and labor-intensive. With Mayor Mike Duggan leaving office, there will likely be turnover and questions about the priorities of the new administration.

Amanda Brezzell is the creative director and co-founder of Fennigan’s Farms in Detroit, a board member for the Detroit Food Policy Council, and a policy and engagement specialist for the Groundwork Center.

They spoke with Cary Junior II about the challenges and joys of farming in Detroit.

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The group Dearborn Wants Wards has been pushing for districted elections in Dearborn. The measure is now officially on the ballot as Proposal 1 in the general election in November. 

Mona Mawari is a community organizer for the Dearborn Wants Wards.  She says the group had to go to court after submitting more than 8,000 signatures for the petition.  

“To ensure that the the proposal was going to be on the ballot in November, we had followed up with the city multiple times and weren’t getting a clear answer and a clear response.”

Mawari says Dearborn Wants Wards volunteers are campaigning door-to-door and organizing town halls and phone banks to spread the word about the measure. The group says districted elections would provide better representation for the city’s east and south sides.    

Additional headlines from Monday, August 22, 2025

 Neighborhood Business Lab 

ProsperUs Detroit and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services or ACCESS are hosting a Neighborhood Business Lab in October. The team will provide business insights to area residents.

The neighborhood lab takes place in two time slots: on October 1st from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. OR 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the ACCESS Hamtramck office, 9301 Joseph Campau Avenue in Hamtramck.

Light refreshments will be provided. 

Dearborn’s Esper Library to be Children’s Exploration and STEAM center 

Dearborn is creating a state-of-the-art children’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics or STEAM Center. It will be located at the city’s Esper Library at 12929 Warren Avenue.

The library will offer robotics, music, art, and engineering activities. It will also include hands-on STEAM discovery zones, technology and a podcast studio. 

Construction began this past weekend. 

Detroit Fire Dept. Appoints Jamal Mickles as chief 

Detroit Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms, has appointed Captain Jamal Mickles as the Chief of the Detroit Fire Department Training Division.

Mickles has 20 years of experience. He began his work with the department through the DFD’s Fire Cadet Program. He was assigned to Engine 51, later serving at Engine 57, Ladder 14, Ladder 26 and the Fire Investigation Division, before becoming a fire instructor and training leader.

Mickles served as a Lieutenant at the academy, overseeing the firefight apprenticeship program which gives Detroiters a pathway to a career in public safety. He also rebuilt the Regional Training Center gym which was used to train more than 200 firefighters across Michigan. Last year as captain, Mickles launched the DFD Paramedic Training Program to train firefighters to deliver advanced pre-hospital medical care. 

He is replacing Chief Alfie Green, who retired after 34 years with the Detroit Fire Department. 

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org. 

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The day before Detroit’s primary election, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey told The Metro “less than five” polling places in the city have accessibility problems — and that her legal obligation includes ensuring entrances and voting machines are accessible.

This week, nonprofit advocacy organization Detroit Disability Power pushed back. The group disputed Winfrey’s claims, pointing to its 2025 survey of 167 polling locations. The findings, they say, reveal widespread barriers and raise serious concerns about Detroit polling place accessibility ahead of the November election. The audit of this year’s primary found that half of the surveyed polling locations had accessibility issues with entrances and doorways, and 70% had problems with Voter Access Terminals (VAT).

Eric Welsby, the policy director for Detroit Disability Power, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to dispute Winfrey’s claims. He explained the persistent barriers for people with disabilities at Detroit polling locations and how this issue is not unique to Detroit.

Documented problems persist

During the 2021 election, disability advocates filed an ADA complaint saying key voting information, like where and how to vote, was inaccessible online for users of screen readers, affecting thousands of Detroiters. And, some polling locations across metro Detroit remain inaccessible to voters with disabilities.

The Metro contacted Clerk Winfrey’s office for comment, but received no response.

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Registered voters not casting a vote is a problem in the city, one that seems to be bigger here than in other Midwest cities. 

In Central Ohio’s Franklin County, the 2024 presidential election turnout was 66%. In Milwaukee, it was 85%. In Chicago, it was about 68% — and that’s the lowest it’s been in 80 years. But in Detroit, during the same election year, it was just 47%. 

Mara Ostfeld is the research director at the Center for Racial Justice and a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She joined The Metro on Wednesday to share insights into why some Detroit residents don’t vote, and how to increase voter turnout. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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