Group abandons petition for state universal healthcare in Michigan

A petition drive to seek voter approval for universal healthcare in Michigan has ended as organizers admitted they were far shy of collecting the minimum number of signatures. Members of Health Care for Michigan said the petition drive would be replaced with a lobbying effort in the state Legislature and U.S. Congress. HCM Chairman John Freeman said the coalition of labor, religious and healthcare provider organizations collected about 130,000 signatures. The number was short of the 380,000 needed to qualify the proposed amendment to the state constituion for the November ballot.