Search for “medicaid”
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Pandemic response drove increase in government assistance in Michigan
One-third of the state is on government assistance. COVID-19 response was the dividing line
… welfare checks, health care and Medicaid, one in three Michigan residents … categories went up.
The number of Medicaid recipients in Michigan grew 21% since … have to verify the eligibility of Medicaid recipients. That has changed. The … people were purged from Michigan’s Medicaid rolls just since the start of 2024. … more
One-third of Michigan residents receive government assistance
Number has grown 30% since Whitmer took office
… 2023 is 30% higher than the roughly 2.6 million served in 2019, when Whitmer took office.
State welfare assistance programs include the following: Medicaid, food stamps, State Emergency Relief, the Family Independence Program, State Disability Assistance and Child Development and Care.
The Michigan … more
Local governments in Michigan can’t keep extra cash from tax foreclosures, but state has other ways to claim money
An auction netted the county $260k, says an heir whose aunt’s property was taken by officials, but Medicaid administrators may take it all anyway
… Services asserted a claim of its own.
The department said that under the policy of estate recovery, it was due the surplus as repayment for funds its Medicaid program had spent on Bouford-Hiar’s behalf.
The circuit court agreed with the state, and in August 2021, put a pause on Litzner’s suit against the … more
Federal drug pricing program drives up drug prices
A bill in Michigan may make transparency harder in the 340B program
… 11.75% of its patients are in Medicaid. In the past decade, many … limits of those eligible for Medicaid, exploding the total number … improved, lawmakers expanded Medicaid, adding more than 800,000 … government health care rolls. Medicaid is now 27% of the Michigan … people became eligible for Medicaid, more hospitals and clinics … more
SEIU Healthcare Michigan is under trusteeship once again
Its second trusteeship in five years owes to ‘substantiated allegations of serious malpractice’
… the early 2000s, SEIU locals across the country, including its Michigan affiliate, took millions of dollars from people who were getting paid by Medicaid to care for their disabled family members in their own home. The union did this by enrolling these caregivers as members, usually without their consent, … more
The New Republic Says Unions Are Making a Comeback
But the ancient magazine of political insiders gives no evidence, and Michigan numbers indicate the opposite
… Employees International Union went from 47,805 to 16,486, a 65.5% decrease. The union was sued after it illegally diverted more than $6 million in Medicaid funds to itself, taking money meant for disabled individuals who had hired others, often their family members, to help them at home. Critics called … more
Hospitals Collect More Fed Drug Purchase Subsidies, Intended Beneficiaries Don’t Get More Care
Studies’ evidence suggest federal program is mostly padding hospitals’ bottom lines
… applies to drug makers that want to serve the markets funded by Medicare and Medicaid. Under it, the companies must sell certain drugs at a discount to hospitals … who lacked insurance coverage. The study noted also that enlarging the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act increased public spending costs. … more
Hospital Chain: ‘Patently False’ That Staffing Shortage Due To Its Vaccine Mandate
Henry Ford says just 1% of its workforce left; in January feds sent in Disaster Medical Assistant Team
… Nov. 4 the federal government would require COVID-19 vaccinations by Jan. 4 for all U.S. health care workers whose employers receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. On Jan. 13, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a federal vaccine mandate imposed on 17 million health care workers nationwide. more
Four Hospitals That Take Federal Money To Help Low-Income Patients Do Less To Help Than Those That Don't
… participating hospitals are more profitable than non-participating hospitals.
The 340B government program is designed to assist patients not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare but still are low income and help pay for prescription medications. Hospitals call this charity care which means they do not expect to … more
Auditors Find State Overpaid Medicaid Home Health Vendors $39.4 Million
Could be worse: A previous audit found a $160 million loss
… Michigan has delivered millions of dollars in overpayments to vendors under a Medicaid program meant to help needy people with daily activities such as bathing, … the first time the Office of the Auditor General found issues with the Medicaid Home Help Program. In an audit covering October 2010 through August 2013, … more
Report: Controversial Drug Rationing Scheme Eyed By Trump, Biden Administrations
Expert panels decide whether extra years added by certain treatments worth the cost
… considered using review panels to decide whether America’s Medicare and Medicaid programs should pay for certain treatments.
Under this system, the panels … year.
Michigan does not use QALY for treatment decisions in the state’s Medicaid program, state officials told Michigan Capitol Confidential last year. … more
Less Road Funding from the Road-Fixing Governor
State spending up, but not for roads
… got in fiscal year 2018-19. The Department of Health and Human Services gets $554 million more, partially because there are more people covered by Medicaid in the pandemic. Michigan took a year off from its taxpayer-paid tourism advertising program, and reinstating it is more of a priority for lawmakers … more
State Budget Recovers From Pandemic
Weak case for additional federal coronavirus relief
… billion of that is fueled by federal revenue and $330 million comes in added state spending. In September, there were 228,000 more people receiving Medicaid, the biggest program of the department, than there were in February. One motivation for the federal relief efforts was to ensure people remained … more
State 'General Fund' Revenue Flat? Only Because Lawmakers Shifted Money Around
Over 10 years, total state revenues grew 16% faster than inflation
… on each pack of cigarettes. Instead of putting all of that money in the General Fund, the Legislature instead transferred 75% of it to the state Medicaid Trust Fund.
In 2015, state lawmakers chose to redirect $600 million in income tax revenue from the General Fund and moved it to the State Transportation … more
Defund Corporate Welfare Agency for Better Public Health
Higher taxes won't be as effective at eliminating smoking habits
… attorneys general from most American states settled lawsuits against large tobacco companies, having first asserted that governments needed to recoup Medicaid-related costs associated with the sale of tobacco products. The tobacco “Master Settlement Agreement” that resulted from the lawsuits came with a … more
Revisit Spending Priorities
Lawmakers won't have as much revenue to spend this year
… majority of its money on schools and Medicaid. This spending has steadily increased … tend to drive state spending on Medicaid. The state expanded its Medicaid coverage to more people above the … emergency, the state should require Medicaid enrollees to report changes in circumstances … more
Michigan’s State Government Can Afford to Operate With Less Revenue
Lawmakers should avoid taking on debt or raising taxes
… taxes or going into debt.
The state has over $1 billion saved for such an occasion. The federal government has also already provided some relief for Medicaid and education expenses, and it can loosen restrictions on some other assistance that has already been made available.
Even with extra cash, lawmakers … more
Michigan Lawmakers Ought to Consider Budget Savings Before Tax Hikes or Debt
They should look within the existing budget to address any fiscal shortfalls
… government to prevent some spending reductions. The federal government has already announced grants to state and local governments for education and Medicaid spending. There are further federal grants to state and local governments already approved, though they come with some restrictions we have argued … more
‘Senseless’ Elective Surgery Lockdown May Put Hillsdale Hospital Under
Testing, x-rays, blood draws, operating room, staff: ‘We lose everything’
… Hillsdale’s revenue comes from treating patients covered by social welfare programs: 70% of all it health care service reimbursements are from Medicare and Medicaid. Such programs typically pay less than private insurers do.
“We’re the third-largest employer in the county,” Hodshire said. “If we were to continue … more
Michigan’s Personal Income Tax During Pandemic
Pressure on tax revenues and the services the taxes pay for
… allocations are to prisons, Medicaid and state universities. … them may be eligible for Medicaid. The pandemic may also cause … for people to be covered by Medicaid, and it makes those groups … If the number of people in Medicaid needing treatment for COVID-19 … and physicians receive from Medicaid are less than the costs they … more
Michigan House Bill Package Increases Road Funding Without Raising Taxes
The state’s current budget debate is not about cuts
… the $10.6 billion income tax to schools, for instance, but other spending interests don’t call that spending — $2.9 billion worth — as a cut to Medicaid or whatever other spending item that could have received that money.
Schools and roads aren’t the only things that lawmakers care about, either, … more
Michigan Should Move Forward With Medicaid Work Requirements
Work requirements empower people to become financially independent
… able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid benefits through the state’s … said that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, or CMS, had … we should recognize about Medicaid work and community engagement … issue with the Center for Medicaid and Medicare and its analysis. … it will continue to defend Medicaid work requirement waivers … more
Michigan Officials Skeptical of Controversial Drug Rationing Program
Who decides what another year of life is worth to a person?
… welfare programs, including Medicaid.
Researchers at the Pioneer … health systems like state Medicaid programs, use it, the researchers … Institute analysis, said Medicaid programs that use the assessments … perilous ground, because many Medicaid recipients are disabled. … analysis found.
Michigan’s Medicaid program does not use QALY, … more
10 Years Of Michigan Capitol Confidential Online
If CapCon doesn’t report it, who will?
… extensively – and, at first, exclusively — on how unions and state agencies entered a deal to “unionize” home caregivers and extract “dues” from the small Medicaid stipends the receive. Many of these caregivers were friends or family members of the disabled individuals they help. But the unions claimed they … more
CapCon’s Top 10 Stories For 2019
Road Fix That Wasn’t, Gun-Free Zones, 1,100 Windmills Won’t Replace This Coal Plant
… only, not federal or local dollars.
No. 4
Headline: Republicans Imposed Medicaid Work Requirements; Governor Wants To Undo Them
From the story: Michigan’s … predecessor to require childless, able-bodied beneficiaries of the Obamacare Medicaid expansion to meet work, training or community service requirements. In … more
The Bipartisan State Budget
Budgets generate a lot of conflict, but not a lot of partisan spending
…
Big policy decisions that impact the state budget are often made outside the annual budget process. For instance, lawmakers chose to expand its Medicaid services in 2013 which requires billions in additional taxpayer spending. Annual budgets only provide the money to pay for that decision rather than … more
Large Hospitals Want State Monopoly On New Cancer Treatment
And a state commission will give it to them unless legislature acts
… as a free-market conservative, “but health care is not a free market,” he said. “Half of all customers are covered by the government (Medicare and Medicaid).” While new cellular therapies using blood modified in a laboratory are promising, he said, they are also extremely expensive and perilous.
“The … more
Economic Growth Drives Budget Priorities
Largest gains were schools, roads and Medicaid
… Legislature’s top priorities: schools, roads and Medicaid.
The transportation budget increased from $5.0 …
The largest increases in state spending are on Medicaid. With federal transfers, the state is budgeted … human services department, up from $25.5 billion. Medicaid itself counts for the bulk of the increases, … more
The Michigan Budget Fight Is Not Over Roads – It’s Everything Else
Budgets should be in line with lawmakers' priorities
… spending across the board, with the two largest increases being $523 million more for schools and $446 million for health and human services, especially Medicaid. The House and Senate budgets increase spending in these areas as well, but more modestly.
Lawmakers should propose budgets in line with their priorities. … more
Whitmer Coy On ‘Medicare For All,’ But Went Extra Mile For Obamacare’s Medicaid
A parliamentary maneuver that raised eyebrows
… state up for the Obamacare Medicaid expansion. Whitmer joined … more people eligible for Medicaid and was expected to send … get that in the Senate. So, Medicaid expansion could not begin … immediately. That way, the Medicaid expansion would go into effect … (unrecorded) vote, and the Medicaid expansion went into effect … more
Growth Fuels Budget Priorities in House and Senate Budgets
Real Cuts to Corporate Welfare on the Table
… That’s good. Select spending to local projects is constitutionally dubious and generally wasteful.
All three recommend spending more state money on Medicaid as the federal government decreases its share. Overall, state spending on the health and human services budget increases by a low of $348 million … more
Worries Over Medicaid Costs No Reason to Oppose No-Fault Reform
Any increased costs would be dwarfed by the savings drivers will achieve
… increased costs for both Medicaid and private health insurance. … overall state spending on Medicaid.
The Michigan Senate Fiscal … potential increased cost of Medicaid from these no-fault reforms … amount the state spends on Medicaid and overall. In fiscal 2017, … spent about $16.8 billion on Medicaid. Even if the state had to … more
No-Fault Reform Plans Will Save Drivers Money
Both Senate and House bills empower Michigan drivers to reduce their insurance premiums
… insurers. Large private health insurers and government programs like Medicare, Medicaid and workers’ compensation establish a set fee for each service that they … a no-fault policy can cost significantly more than an MRI paid for by Medicaid — sometimes 10 times as much.
Both SB 1 and HB 4397 would establish a … more
Dues Skimming Meets Its Demise
Federal rule ends a union's ability to involuntarily take money from home health care givers
… health care dues skim, whereby Medicaid grants meant to fund the … been skimmed off the top of Medicaid payments meant to provide … Eventually the dues skim ended, Medicaid recipients got their full … divert around $200 million in Medicaid funds. The new federal rule … than the care provider or Medicaid recipient. The unions will … more
Republicans Imposed Medicaid Work Requirements; Governor Wants to Undo Them
Gov. Whitmer wants U-turn on making able-bodied medical welfare recipients get a job
… beneficiaries of the Obamacare Medicaid expansion to meet work, training … predicted that Michigan’s new Medicaid work requirements would cause … according to national experts on Medicaid and health care policy, many … may explain why people left Medicaid after that state implemented … said in an interview that Medicaid and any work requirements … more
Bill Aims At Teen Vaping, Hits Adult Smokers
$1.50-per-pack cigarette tax hike would bring in more for general fund and medical welfare
… statement published on the House Democratic Caucus website that the increased cigarette tax revenue would help support spending on public schools and Medicaid. She also said that expanding the tax to alternative nicotine-delivery systems was prompted by concerns that minors were using them.
“E-cigarettes … more
State Licensing Didn’t Stop Funeral Home Horror Shows
Policymakers should review areas where licenses are required
… state. The remains of 63 infants were found in the home, the vast majority possessed without authorization. The funeral home allegedly also billed Medicaid and the Detroit Medical Center for burying the remains, which it obviously did not do.
The Cantrell Funeral Home also was the target of state and … more
Medical Welfare Programs Look To Price Another Year Of Life
Is a beneficiary’s ‘quality-adjusted life year’ worth the cost of a drug?
Medicaid and other medical welfare entitlement programs have created expectations that are bigger than … would primarily affect low-income individuals in Medicaid, a means-tested program. Almost all U.S. seniors, … the British public if a disabled child in the Medicaid program were denied a lifesaving or life-altering … more
State Revenue Looks Stagnant If Only Some Funds Are Excluded
Spending interests imply taxpayers not contributing enough
… state accounts. For example, 75 percent of the revenue from a 75 cent per pack cigarette tax increase enacted in 2004 was earmarked to the state Medicaid Trust Fund rather than the General Fund. Lawmakers can also make the General Fund larger or smaller by allocating less or more annual revenue to … more
Up 10 Percent And $3.2 Billion, State Still ‘Starved For Revenue’
Long-time budget analysts stuck on half-empty
… email seeking comment. Bean responded to an email, but he claimed the Senate Fiscal Agency numbers that it cited included federal dollars including Medicaid expansion money. They did not. more
Media, Left Blame Deficit On People Keeping More Of What They Earn
They don’t like tax cuts but do like government spending
… debt problem is that the major entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, grow faster than the government can bring in revenue regardless of what … years because of the growth in spending on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.”
James Wallner, a senior fellow at the R Street Institute, told Michigan … more
Granholm: Income Tax Would Be Lower If GOP Left It Alone
Republicans repealed scheduled reductions in former Democratic governor’s 2007 tax hike
… because government has become accustomed to the revenue,” he said.
Pavlov pointed to special interests, including those focused on the 2013 Obamacare Medicaid expansion, and a steady increase in funding for public schools. His explanation for the initial 2007 vote to increase rates was that “the tax eaters … more
Happy New (Fiscal) Year; State Spending Up But Not By Much
Inflation-adjusted figures show Snyder mostly held the line on spending
Spurred by the Obamacare Medicaid expansion and increases in the state gas tax and vehicle registration tax, overall spending by Michigan’s state government … due to the Legislature and governor accepting the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion in 2013.
The Michigan Department of Transportation’s spending … more
Medicaid Dues Skim May Come To An End, After All
Friends, relatives of disabled individuals among those swept into public sector unions
… health aides employed by Medicaid beneficiaries. This in-home … union dues was skimmed from Medicaid checks.
In Michigan, the … to skim $34.4 million from Medicaid checks between November 2006 … unions to take a share of Medicaid money that was meant to pay … the court held that these Medicaid home health care providers … more
Gov. Rick Snyder’s Fiscal Policy Legacy
A review
…
The Snyder administration pressed legislators to accept the Obamacare Medicaid expansion that made families and childless adults with incomes of up to … shaped where state government is today: There is more money for roads, Medicaid, schools and for a rainy day, too.
There were both tax increases and … more
Policy Proposed for Medicaid Workers Too Broad, Harms Patients and Consumers
… would severely limit people who have criminal backgrounds from working as Medicaid providers. It makes sense in many cases to impose restrictions, but blanket … abuse counselors and peer coaches. Not only is this a needless change to Medicaid policy, it is likely to negatively impact public safety by taking away … more
Bill Schuette Talks State Government
‘The growth is in states that have lower taxes and fewer regulations’
… paychecks and lower taxes. We’ve talked about that; I think that helps people who are low income.
Also, I think requiring a work requirement for Medicaid for able-bodied adults who are not seniors are important. Because this element of work is an ethic and in a culture we need to reinforce all the … more
Reverse Course on Restricting Medicaid Workers With Criminal Backgrounds
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services pushing new rules
… would severely limit people who have criminal backgrounds from working as Medicaid providers. It makes sense in many cases to impose restrictions, but blanket … abuse counselors and peer coaches. Not only is this a needless change to Medicaid policy, it is likely to negatively impact public safety by taking away … more
Dr. Jim Hines Talks State Government
‘If renewable energies are so good ... then why not get rid of the subsidies and the mandates?’
…
HINES: Cash bonds.
CARTER: Yes, okay.
HINES: Cash bonds. And you know I could pay the thousand dollars —
CARTER: Sure.
HINES: — but someone on Medicaid, or something with a low income is not going to be able to pay that, and they’re going to end up spending time in jail. And then there’s the driver’s … more
Sen. Patrick Colbeck Talks State Government
‘You got to sometimes swing for the fences,’ says gubernatorial candidate
… the Michigan budget, and that’s Medicaid. That’s coming in at $18 billion … care. I’ve got a pilot going on in Medicaid right now for Medicaid enrollment; it’s to get access to … welfare, you’re taking them off of Medicaid, you save about $6,000 per person … more
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