Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital in Pontiac, Mich.

I’m afraid one of our state representatives from Auburn Hills is about to lose a lot of face. Today Rep. Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills was out promoting a plan to guarantee all Michigan residents health care coverage.

The Oakland Press has the story:

“This is for the Chrysler or General Motors worker who is out of a job and looking to get health care for their family,” Melton said. “It’s for the parent of that child who is diagnosed with asthma and has been refused coverage.”

The plan would prohibit insurance companies from rejecting or raising rates on the sick and expand coverage for Michigan children.

It’s a great idea, no doubt. But is it realistic right now? I’m not so sure about that part of it.

The hospitals are behind it, because they’re overrun with uninsured sick people.

The plan is very ambitious. Here’s the breakdown:

According to Melton, his plan would guarantee access to health care by requiring insurance companies to cover people who have pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes or cancer; prohibit raising rates on individuals who become sick; ban practices like cherry picking the healthiest individuals to cover; expand the state’s MIChild program to help cover every child in Michigan; and Create the Michigan Catastrophic Protection Plan Fund to rein in the soaring cost of health care and protect the sickest individuals.

If it sounds Utopian today, that’s because it is. Maybe in a few years, once the recession has leveled off and people are more keen on spending money and shouldering costs.

The comment section is alive with semi-coherent opinions. My favorite kind of commenter is the one who writes in all-caps. Like so:

TO THOSE THAT WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY FOR YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE: QUIT SPENDING YOUR MONEY ON VIDEO GAMES,ILLEGALE DRUGS, $200 TENNIS SHOES,AND BOOZE, THEN MAYBE YOU COULD SPEND THAT MONEY FOR INSURANCE INSTEAD OF WANTING SOMEONE ELSE TO PAY YOUR WAY.

I’d say easy-does-it with the health care reform in Michigan. The state should take its lead from D.C. on this one. If you bring the bigger guns to the fight, you’re more likely to win.

Fear not, Feiger is here!

• A youth appreciation fund wants to give young people in Oakland County money so they’ll stay in school. Funny thing is it might actually work. [Crain's]
• Has-been attorney and gubernatorial also-ran Geoffrey Feiger is back in court, this time defending a kid from a murder rap. Past performance suggests Feiger will, again, lose. [Crain's]
• All that the Walled Lake’s Star Clipper Dinner Train operator wants is the state funds he was promised so he can move the business out of state. No, I totally understand. [Free Press]
• Pontiac officials are looking for talented individuals interested in tearing down the city’s buildings. References and resumes optional, I’m guessing. [DetNews]