Healthcare Bills Advance in Michigan Legislature
Several healthcare-related bills advanced in the Michigan Legislature during the week of March 2, including proposals addressing medical debt, liability protections, organ donation incentives and workforce shortages. The Senate Finance Committee advanced Senate Bills …
Action Alert: Legislature Begins Budget Process
House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees have begun work on the fiscal year 2027 state budget, which begins Oct. 1. The MHA has created a new action alert encouraging individuals to contact lawmakers and emphasize the importance of …
2026 MHA Annual Membership Meeting Registration Now Open
The MHA membership will convene in person for the MHA Annual Membership Meeting June 24–26 at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The annual meeting will feature an outstanding lineup of experts discussing key topics, …
MHA Opposes Federal Student Loan Proposal Affecting Healthcare Workforce
The MHA recently submitted a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed rule that would change how certain graduate health programs qualify for federal student loan programs under H.R. 1. The proposal would …
Register by March 11 to Attend MHA HR Conference
The deadline to register for the 2026 MHA Human Resources Conference is March 11. The conference is scheduled for March 24 at the Crowne Plaza Lansing and will bring together human resources leaders navigating rapid …
Hospitals Expand Food Access Through Community Benefit Collaboratives
As many observe National Nutrition Month, hospitals across the state are implementing programs to address chronic disease through nutrition education and expanded food access. This work is being done through the MHA Community Benefit Collaboratives, which support efforts to improve Michiganders’ health outcomes in …
MDHHS Seeks Proposals for Primary Substance Abuse Prevention Programs for Youth
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released a grant funding opportunity March 4 to provide support to organizations implementing primary substance use prevention programs for children and youth. The goal of this program is to support organizations to deliver …
Forum to Address Transportation Barriers to Healthcare Access
Transportation Riders United (TRU) will host MI Public Health in Motion: Health and Transit Forum March 19 from noon to 2 p.m. ET. TRU is a Michigan-based transit advocacy organization whose work the MHA has …
MC3 Launches Free Webinar Series on Supporting Youth in Crisis
Michigan Clinical Consultation & Care (MC3) is launching a free virtual education series beginning March 10 to help healthcare professionals better support children and adolescents experiencing behavioral health crises. The Practical Strategies to Support …
Hospitals Help: Mackinac Straits Retail Pharmacy Serves as a Lifeline in Northern Michigan
Mackinac Straits Health System opened its retail pharmacy in St. Ignace following valuable feedback from the community. Previously, the community lacked access to pharmacy services on weekends and holidays. This created additional barriers to care, …
MHA CEO Report — Sustaining Hospital Funding is Key to Meaningful Reform
Michiganders heard a clear message from our state and federal leaders last week: healthcare is too expensive and the system is flawed. We agree. Michigan hospitals are deeply invested in providing timely and accessible care, …
Keckley Report
The Other F Bomb in Healthcare: FRAUD (especially Medicaid)
“40 minutes into the 108-minute State of the Union address Tuesday night, the President laid out his healthcare policy priorities for 2026 and after:
- Increased focus on price transparency (building on 2021 and 2022 Executive Orders that targeted hospitals and insurers).
- Increased use of Most Favored Nation pricing agreements to lower prescription drug costs.
- Increased adoption of Health Savings Accounts by individuals who lost premium tax credits (aka ‘ill-conceived elements of “Obamacare).
These are the backbone of the President’s “Great Healthcare Plan” (January 15, 2026) that is premised on his view that the healthcare system is fundamentally flawed because consumer interests are not served. His plan reckons consolidation and corporatization in the $5.3 trillion U.S. healthcare enterprise as business strategies to profit operators (hospitals, medical practitioners, insurers, long-term care providers), suppliers (drugs, supplies, technologies, facilities), regulators and advisors at the expense of consumers. It posits that increased competition, less regulation, more transparency and a more direct role for consumers are necessary changes. …
FRAUD is the new F bomb in healthcare. It rallies industry critics to a common purpose. Medicaid is only the start.”
MHA in the News
KFF Health News published a story March 4 detailing concerns from hospital leaders and lawmakers across the country about how states plan to spend new federal rural health funding. The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program …