Enrollment started April 1 and it’s going gangbusters. There’s no deadline to enroll, but why wait? Experts are standing by. Open enrollment for 2014 coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace ended March 31, but the people and organizations dedicated to helping people get health insurance haven’t slowed down. This is especially true in Michigan, where you might say […]

It should have come sooner, but let’s just be glad it’s finally happening. Finally, Michigan’s expanded Medicaid program is almost here. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Medicaid expansion was delayed by four months because the Republican-led Michigan Senate refused to give it immediate effect — and Gov. Snyder did none of the things in his […]

At a national gathering of healthcare advocates, I saw the heart and soul of healthcare reform. There’s no stopping us now. If you could have seen what I saw at the Health Action conference, you’d be as confident as I am about the future of healthcare in America. Every year, Families USA brings together healthcare advocates and experts at their […]

Comprehension fail much? The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) and Terri Lynn Land are so eager to continue to beat the anti-Affordable Care Act drum that they appear to have lost all ability to distinguish between it and any other discussion about health care. This was made comically clear over the past two days following an appearance by U.S. Department […]

Educating people about available tax subsidies and Medicaid enrollment are top healthcare reform priorities right now. By the end of December, more than 6 million Americans had enrolled in a health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), either buying private insurance or signing up for Medicaid in a state that agreed to expand the program. We’re now midway […]

The state is bleeding money because Senate Republicans refused to give Medicaid expansion immediate effect. The Michigan Republican senators who voted against giving Medicaid expansion immediate effect have lost the right to call themselves “fiscal conservatives.” Fiscal cons is more like it, because they only care about Michigan’s financial well-being when it suits their political ideology. Now, courtesy of the […]

Federal sign-off on the “Healthy Michigan” plan puts start date on target for April 1, 2014. It should have been sooner. It should have been easier. But Medicaid expansion is coming to Michigan. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved Michigan’s waiver request to expand Medicaid to individuals at 133 percent of the federal poverty […]

Remember this number: 94.3% Michigan Republicans love to pass laws with “immediate effect”. It avoids the whole “gotta wait until 90 days after the close of the current legislative session” thing and the laws they pass go into effect immediately. They love it so much that, when I last did my analysis in early September, they had passed 94.3% of […]

What’s good for the goose… I love this. Democrats Jon Switalski and Henry Yanez have introduced legislation, House Bill 4114, that would discontinue health insurance coverage for Michigan senators and represenatives until Medicaid expansion goes into effect on April 1st, 2014. Here’s the bill, in full: A bill to amend 2011 PA 152, entitled “Publicly funded health insurance contribution act,” […]

The opening of the Obamacare marketplaces isn’t the only news today that’s a BFD. The passage of Medicaid expansion in Michigan last month was a huge victory for the nearly 500,000 uninsured who will gain coverage as a result. But the fact that the Senate passed the bill without “immediate effect” meant delaying the start of the program until 90 […]

It’s a great deal. But it could have been even better. Don’t get me wrong. I’m elated that Medicaid expansion is finally the law in Michigan after an official signing ceremony with Governor Rick Snyder today. I just wish the actual benefits would start sooner. The good news is that nearly half a million Michigan residents will now have access […]