Several healthcare-related measures, including the full Senate budget and legislation on tax credits for organ donation, saw action during the week of April 27. 

The Senate advanced its full budget proposal under Senate Bill (SB) 878, sponsored by Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing). The bill contains the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services budget from SB 857. Key highlights of the bill include: 

• Full funding for Medicaid. 

• Recognition of hospital provider taxes and the ability to access those funds without additional legislative action or administrative barriers. 

• Specialty Network Access Fee funding. 

• Support for rural and obstetrics stabilization pools. 

• Funding for Maternal Levels of Care verification. 

Unlike the governor’s executive recommendation and the House proposal, the Senate plan does not include unspecified Medicaid savings. Instead, it identifies funding through caseload adjustment savings, Most Favored Nation drug pricing savings and other efficiencies. The bill has now been referred to the House Appropriations Committee for further review and comparison, with the proposed House budget and the governor’s executive recommendation. The MHA will continue working with lawmakers to ensure the final product maintains support for hospitals, providers and patients. 

Further, the House Finance Committee heard testimony on SB 301. Sponsored by Sen. Joe Bellino (R-Monroe), the MHA-supported legislation would provide a tax credit to employers whose employees take time off to serve as living organ donors. The bill awaits a vote from the committee before moving to the full House chamber. 

The House Rules Committee considered and passed HB 5281, sponsored by Rep. Mike Harris (R-Waterford), which would put guardrails around third-party funded litigation. Currently, private equity and other investors can secretively fund litigation against hospitals and other entities. This legislation would place limitations on those investments and increase transparency in the process. The MHA-supported bill now goes to the full House for consideration. 

The House Health Policy Committee discussed HB 5709, sponsored by Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen), which would remove certain imaging services from the Certificate of Need (CON) program. The MHA submitted a letter of opposition to the bill, which would erode Michigan’s strong CON program. The committee did not take a vote on the legislation. 

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