If passed, an amendment would be added to the state constitution, making health care a state responsibility.

There were more than one million uninsured Michigan residents in 2006, 10 percent of the population, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“We want to put language in the state constitution that says health care is a major problem and that the state Legislature has to deal with it,” said John Freeman, chairman of the Health Care for Michigan Campaign.

Although the proposal does not advocate any legislative action, possibilities include the state providing health care directly with money raised from taxes or a collaboration between the government and private insurance companies, Freeman said.

With residents facing rising health care costs, the campaign is trying to force legislators to start having serious conversations about health care and increase the system’s efficiency, he said.

The details, not included on the ballot, would later be worked out by the state.

MSU Trustee Donald Nugent, who had not reviewed the proposal, said if the state decides to cover health care for those who cannot afford it, it might cause a decrease in state appropriations for MSU, increasing tuition if the money is not recovered elsewhere.

“I think it could put appropriations even in more jeopardy and probably would not help us,” he said. “I would hold it with a great deal of skepticism.”

The proposal has earned endorsements from legislators like Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Lt. Gov. John Cherry.

The proposal was also endorsed by the Michigan chapters of the American Medical Student Association and the American Medical Association.

The amount of money spent in Michigan on health care could be more efficiently managed, said Michelle Debbink, Michigan health justice director for AMSA.

The campaign has gathered about 135,000 signatures, she said.

Debbink said graduates coming off their parents’ health insurance might find a proposal helping them afford coverage more attractive, she said.

“Having health care insurance available for young people will help keep them in the state,” she said.

Among the bill’s legislative opposition is Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester.

“If the proponents of the proposal believe the concept has merit, they should have devised a concrete plan with a funding mechanism clearly defined,” said Louis Meizlish, spokesman for Bishop.

“Without specifics, the ballot proposal is merely a statement of intentions. How would state government in the midst of this economic downturn and budget deficits pay for this coverage?”