Latest news with #HealthyMichigan
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Michigan Senate panel hears input on potential devastation of federal Medicaid cuts
Katie O'Neal (right) testifies before the Senate Health Policy Committee as it discusses proposed federal Medicaid cuts on Wednesday, June 5, 2025 | Photo by Ben Solis As Republicans in Congress pursue massive cuts to federal Medicaid dollars, Michigan lawmakers have been left to decipher what that means for the state and its residents who rely on vital health care funding. On Wednesday, members of the Michigan Senate Health Policy Committee met to discuss the U.S. House of Representatives' recently passed spending bill that would slice $535 billion from the federal program over the next 10 years. Testifying before the Democratic-controlled Michigan Senate committee were members of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, hospital officials and federally qualified health care providers. Meghan Groen, senior deputy director of health services with the MDHHS, said one in four Michigan residents rely on Medicaid and that a significant portion of those recipients live in rural areas. The U.S. House proposal to cap and eliminate provider taxes would cost Michigan around $525 million, Groen said, and the proposed work requirements in the federal spending bill could lead to a $155 million implementation cost with less coverage provided. Groen noted that nearly 500,000 people could face coverage loss. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX One of the benefits of Michigan expanding Medicaid coverage many years ago was that health insurance could be provided to more low-income residents and reduced the financial burdens on hospitals. Eliminating the Medicaid expansion could lead to increased emergency room visits and higher health care costs overall. 'The Healthy Michigan plan involves about 750,000 Michiganders. At this point, it succeeded in exactly what it was intended to do,' Groen said. 'It prevents people from going into bankruptcy and medical debt, because someone in their family got sick. Uninsured people don't stop getting sick. They wait until they're sicker, and then they go to an emergency room. They go with a higher level of care, where it's more expensive to serve them, and their acuity, or how sick they are, is more intense at that time, so it costs more.' If they don't have money to pay that bill, Groen said, it gets left unpaid, and the providers have uncompensated care. She said the cost for everybody in the community goes up everybody who goes into that provider. Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) wondered about the work requirements, noting that the Institute of Health Policy and Innovation has said that 49% of Michiganders who fall into that category are already working. Groen said the state does not have an exact number of how many in that population were actually working, but she suspected it would be most recipients. Adding the proposed requirements would lead to a lot of extra communication about recipients go on to comply with the requirement, which also say they needed to be working the month before they applied. 'It might be a little confusing for an individual who's like, 'great, I just got a job, I'll apply for Medicaid,' and then to get that determination letter [saying] that they, in fact, do not meet the requirements is going to be very confusing for people who are just reaching out, getting a job, and trying to make sure they have health care for themselves and their family,' Groen said. 'We are very concerned about both what the compliance looks like for individuals who are working and individuals who are not.' Also testifying was Katie O'Neal, a mother from Ypsilanti, who extolled how Medicaid helped her child get lifesaving care and without going through the rigors of dealing with the modern health insurance industry. O'Neal's son, Nathan, who came to their family through the foster care system, was born 11-weeks premature. He was eligible for Medicaid due to his inclusion in foster care. Shortly after he arrived as a member of the O'Neal family, Nathan became ill with RSV, a common respiratory virus that can have serious consequences for infants and older adults. It was later discovered that he had a stenosis, or narrowing, of his lower airway, requiring a tracheostomy. All of that care was covered by Medicaid, O'Neal said, which was a blessing. Years later, Nathan's airway needed to be reconstructed. A two-week intensive care unit hospital stay was necessary at a cost of more than $100,000. That procedure and follow up appointments were all covered by Medicaid. He lives a pretty stable life now, despite a resurgence in complications from the reconstructive surgery, which is rare. Four procedures have commenced since late last summer, and each of those procedures were covered by Medicaid. But future surgeries and complications could be harrowing if congressional Republicans' cuts to Medicaid take hold. 'I have anxiety about the outcome and his life after surgery. I worry how first grade will go, and I wonder if we will ever escape this cycle of airway procedures,' O'Neal said. 'But I don't have to worry about convincing my insurance company that it's necessary. Medicaid has been there for us at every turn, and now there's a public debate about whether families like mine should still have this kind of support with Medicaid.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Whitmer directs DHHS to prepare report detailing how federal Medicaid cuts would impact Michigan
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs an executive directive instructing the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to analyze the ways federal cuts to Medicaid would impact Michigan. | Kyle Davidson As Republicans in Congress continue to eye cuts to critical programs like Medicaid in an effort to extend President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts, several Michigan Democrats joined Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Royal Oak Thursday, as she signed an executive directive instructing the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to prepare a report detailing how Medicaid cuts would impact the state. Gathering at Corewell Health's William Beaumont University Hospital, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor), Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) warned that cutting funding to Medicaid could threaten access to care for some of the state's most vulnerable residents, including children, seniors and people with disabilities. Dan Carey, the hospital's president, noted that nearly 50% of all Michigan children and six out of 10 elderly adults rely on Medicaid for their health care. If these cuts pass, Carey questioned what would happen to those children, Michigan communities and the workers who care for those children. With the U.S. House's budget resolution directing the House Energy and Commerce Committee to reduce the federal deficit by at least $880 billion over 10 years, Dingell, who serves on the committee, said there is no way to meet that goal without drastic cuts to Medicaid. 'Medicaid is already a lean program. With few options for how to fill the budget hole left by cuts to Medicaid funding, states will be forced to consider cuts to coverage and benefits, leaving more people uninsured and under insured,' Dingell said. During a presentation to the Michigan Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Health and Human Services in March, DHHS officials noted Michigan Medicaid makes up 34% of the state's total budget, with 70% of funding for the state's Medicaid program coming from the federal government. 'Any cut will place an enormous financial burden on parents, older adults, people with disabilities and their families, and especially those who have already spent down their assets and resources to qualify for Medicaid,' Dingell said. 'Americans would have to forgo much needed care entirely, or their family members would be forced to choose between covering their children's expenses, saving for their own retirement, or even being able to help their loved one.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX However, there is some hope Dingell said, noting that several Republicans have publicly opposed cuts to Medicaid. Stevens reflected on Whitmer's efforts serving as the state Senate minority leader, working to craft the Healthy Michigan program, a bipartisan expansion to Medicaid signed into law by then Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican. As Michigan hosts some of the lowest rates of uninsured individuals in the nation, it's strange and upsetting that hosting the press conference was even necessary, Stevens said, noting that these concerns come five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'I think that we can recognize the seriousness of what this moment represents, that people deserve better, that they deserve stability and consistency and access to medical benefits,' Stevens said. Tlaib emphasized that these cuts are not just numbers, and that every percentage cut was the life of a Michigan neighbor. She also pointed to the ongoing crisis in Black maternal health, with the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women being nearly 3.5 times the rate for non-Hispanic white women. She further noted that more than 40% of births in the U.S. are paid for by Medicaid. Michigan Senate passes 'Momnibus' legislative package on final day of Black Maternal Health Week 'Seventy-two million people across every corner of our country rely on Medicaid. I don't think one congressional district in our nation is not impacted. For families and seniors and people with disabilities, Medicaid is the difference between survival and suffering,' Tlaib said. Prior to signing her directive, Whitmer said Medicaid has allowed breast cancer survivors to receive their annual mammogram and ensured more families can receive regular dental care, visit a primary care physician, and ensure their child receives emergency care rather than keeping them home due to concerns about the hospital bill. 'In short, Medicaid saves lives, it lowers costs and ensures that we have a health system that can meet all of our needs, no matter where we get our health care from,' she said. Cuts to Medicaid would also hit small towns and rural communities hard, Whitmer said, with 37% of Michiganders in these areas receiving Medicaid coverage. The harm would also extend beyond individuals receiving Medicaid coverage Whitmer said, with Michigan hospitals set to lose out on half a billion in Medicaid funding annually. 'The equation is simple, fewer jobs equal weaker economies and a less healthy Michigan. Hospitals in local and rural communities across Michigan will close, which threatens care for everyone, raises prices for everyone. It forces people to drive further for health care, even in emergency situations,' Whitmer said. 'Everyone agrees that there's always more that can be found in terms of rooting out waste or fraud. But this is not about that. This is massive, devastating slashes to core government service. This won't make government more efficient, it'll just raise your costs, eliminate local jobs and put lives in danger,' Whitmer said. By examining the impact of Medicaid cuts on the state, Michiganders can see the cost of what Republicans are hoping to accomplish in Washington, Whitmer said. 'We're going to send a clear message to anyone trying to trade your health and someone else's tax cut. Medicaid is not for sale. I'll keep fighting over the cost of health care and support access to our critical programs like Medicaid, because if you're sick in Michigan, it shouldn't mean going broke,' Whitmer said before signing the directive. 'Let's all double down on our efforts to make sure that Congress and our Republican legislators in particular hear us loud and clear. This is an important moment. We can't not fight for the people of Michigan and that's what this is all about,' Whitmer said.
