Category: Member News

Headline Roundup: House Budget Reaction

Member News, MHA In The News

The MHA received a host of media coverage from across the state during the week of Aug. 25 after the MHA issued a media statement reacting to the state budget bill passed Aug. 26 by the Michigan House of Representatives.

House Bill 4706 would institute several harmful changes to hospital funding, which could result in more than 20,000 job losses in Michigan hospitals. The statement from MHA CEO Brian Peters expressed the MHA’s strong opposition to this version of the state budget, expressing the harmful consequences it would bring and the need for a state budget that protects existing hospital funding.

Friday, Aug. 29

Thursday, Aug. 28

Wednesday, Aug. 27

Tuesday, Aug. 26

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

Speakers Announced for 2025 Communications Retreat

Member News

The MHA has confirmed speakers and topics for the 2025 MHA Communications Retreat scheduled Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Henry Center for Executive Development in Lansing.

The lineup features:

  • Tim McIntyre, experienced communicator and former Domino’s Pizza executive, who will share insights on reputation management, drawing parallels between his experiences and the issues hospitals face today, including rebuilding trust, creating transparency and simplifying the patient experience.
  • A crisis communication panel will feature MHA members, including Catherine Dewey, regional marketing communications manager, Munson Healthcare, and will highlight lessons learned from past crises in healthcare. The session will be led by crisis communications expert Jeff Gaunt, founder and principal of Gaunt Strategies, who will also facilitate a tabletop simulation where attendees respond to an incident in real time. Additional speakers will be announced as they’re confirmed.
  • Laura Appel, executive vice president, government relations & public policy, MHA, will provide an update on state and federal healthcare priorities.

This event is designed specifically for professionals working in public relations, communications, media relations, marketing and community relations within Michigan hospitals. We encourage members of these professions to register and participate.

Additional event details, including registration information, are available on the 2025 Communications Retreat webpage.

Members with questions regarding registration should contact Kennedy Walters at the MHA. Questions regarding the retreat should be directed to John Karasinski at the MHA.

DIFS Finalizes Newborn Insurance Enrollment Document for Hospitals

Member News

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) recently finalized the educational document that hospitals are now required to provide to parents of newborns under Public Act 250 of 2024 (House Bill 4173 of 2023).

The document outlines enrollment deadlines, steps for submitting documentation and initiating enrollment and explains available types of coverage for parents and guardians with a newborn. Hospitals must distribute the document to parents as part of the insurance enrollment process for newborns.

Members with additional questions should contact the MHA Advocacy Team.

House Budget Includes Harmful Hospital Funding Cuts

Member News

The Michigan House of Representatives voted 59-45 on Aug. 26 for a state budget that includes harmful cuts to hospital funding and healthcare measures.

This proposed budget includes:

  • New language placing $2.5 billion of hospital provider-tax funded payments in contingency, requiring unnecessary administrative and legislative actions that could jeopardize timely hospital payments.
  • Elimination of at least $100 million of funding from the Specialty Network Access Fee (SNAF), which provides reimbursement to support physicians caring for patients with Medicaid coverage.
  • Elimination of $10 million to support the Maternal Levels of Care verification for birthing hospitals.
  • No funding to support providers who have not been reimbursed by the Michigan Department of Corrections contractor Wellpath.

Furthermore, Michigan hospitals already stand to lose more than $6 billion over the next 10 years due to federal budget cuts. Further reducing funding that supports delivering healthcare services and the nurses, physicians and other staff employed by hospitals harms Michigan and its more than 10 million residents.

The MHA will continue to oppose all threats to hospital funding and work with the state legislature to advocate for a real budget by Sept. 30 that supports healthcare and the hospital workforce who serve Michigan communities.

Following the vote, the MHA issued a media statement from MHA CEO Brian Peters and an action alert encouraging members to contact legislators to protect hospital funding in Michigan.

Members with additional questions should contact the MHA advocacy team.

ACP and MDHHS to Host Vaccine Policy and Practice Webinar

Member News

The American College of Physicians (ACP), in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), will host the public health webinar, From Policy to Practice: What Internists Need to Know About the Latest Vaccines Recommendations, at noon ET Sept. 11, 2025.

The session will provide insights into Michigan’s vaccination landscape. Attendees will also hear about strategies to boost coverage, along with updates on national advocacy, new legislation and regulatory changes that directly impact physicians and their patients.

Members are encouraged to register.

Members with questions may contact the health & data policy department at the MHA.

Latest AHA Trustee Insights Examines the Role of Boards in Workforce Strategy

Member News

The August edition of Trustee Insights, the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) monthly digital package, highlights podcasts, videos, webinars and other resources on today’s most pressing issues. The issue includes a special-edition paper on trends shaping care and board actions to leverage data to meet market pressures and community needs; develop “care anywhere” delivery models; elevate patient experience and personalized care; and rethink talent acquisition, development and retention. It also features a podcast with a board chair discussing the health system’s preparation for and response to cyber incidents.

Members with questions about MHA trustee resources or webinars may contact Erin Steward at the MHA.

Registration Open for the Michigan Food as Medicine Summit

Member News

Registration is open for the inaugural Michigan Food as Medicine Summit, scheduled for Oct. 7-8 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing.

The event will bring together leaders from healthcare, food systems, policy and community organizations to learn and shape the state’s first unified Food as Medicine advocacy agenda.

Participants can expect sessions that will highlight best practices for designing, implementing and operationalizing Food as Medicine interventions in both clinical and non-clinical settings.

The summit will feature a keynote address from Dr. Seth Berkowitz, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine & Clinical Epidemiology, examining food security and nutrition interventions to improve population health.

As an event sponsor, the MHA encourages healthcare leaders and practitioners to participate.

Registration is $445 for payers, providers and health system participants and closes on Oct. 1.

Continuing education credits have been approved for physicians, physician assistants and nurses for 5.0 hours. Continuing education contact hours (CECH) have been approved for health educators. This activity has been approved for 5.0 CECH credits, program number 38017. Applications for social workers and dietitians are pending.

Members with questions about the event may reach out to Lindsay Peters at the MHA.

MDHHS Updates Mental Health Framework Webpage

Member News

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has updated its Mental Health Framework (MHF) webpage with new resources for providers.

Recordings and slide decks from the MHF 101 webinar, the MichiCANS Screener and LOCUS All Provider Draft Rate Meeting 101 webinar are now available. These sessions provide background and technical updates to support provider engagement within the framework.

The webpage now includes expanded information on standardized assessment trainings. Providers can access details and instructions for registering for upcoming MichiCANS trainings. While LOCUS training is not yet available, the MDHHS will share additional updates once those sessions are avaliable.

Providers are encouraged to visit the MDHHS Mental Health Framework webpage regularly for the most up-to-date information and resources.

Members with questions may contact Lenise Freeman at the MHA.

AMN Physician Incentive Survey Results

Member News

MHA Endorsed Business Partner AMN Healthcare recently released the 2025 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives, produced by its Physician Solutions division (formerly Merritt Hawkins).

For 32 years, the Review has been a key source of data and insight regarding physician starting salaries, signing bonuses, relocation allowances and other recruiting incentives.

Members interested in a copy of the 2025 Review or those who would like to discuss their hospital’s current physician and APP recruiting needs, may reach out to Ben Jones, regional vice president at AMN.

Members seeking information about the MHA’s EBP program may contact Rob Wood at the MHA.

Catching Up on All Things Healthcare with Tina Freese Decker

Member News, MiCare Champion Cast

The MHA released a new episode of the MiCare Champion Cast exploring state and federal healthcare priorities with Tina Freese Decker, MHA, MSIE, FACHE, president & CEO, Corewell Health and 2025 chair of the American Hospital Association (AHA).

The episode, hosted by MHA CEO Brian Peters, explores healthcare innovation, affordability and how institutions like Corewell Health are bracing for the impact of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).”

“It’s very important to protect and strengthen our hospitals, but we can also look ahead and say, how do we drive healthcare forward to a future that can be more affordable, more exceptional and simpler?” posed Freese Decker. “We all want what is best for our neighbors. When we put people at the center, we can align around what needs to happen and where we need to go.”

Freese Decker leads more than 60,000 within the integrated health system and oversees Corewell Health’s provider-sponsored health plan, Priority Health, which serves 1.3 million members across Michigan.

During the conversation, Freese Decker noted her biggest concern with changes under the OBBBA will be the loss of access to primary care services for patients without healthcare coverage. She noted that embracing a preventative mindset and being mindful of healthcare costs will be critical.

“Our patients do hard things every day and we help them through that,” said Freese Decker. “We need to make sure we’re disrupting the status quo and challenging conventional wisdom. It’s going to be hard, but it’s also an opportunity to advance care and improve the lives of our teams and our communities…it will require significant change. We will not be able to do it the way we’ve always been able to do it.”

Peters and Freese Decker also explore the future of growing the healthcare workforce talent pipeline, the role technology will continue to play in hospitals and the importance of fostering new partnerships across industries.

The episode is available to stream on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube. Questions or idea submissions for future MiCare Champion Cast episodes can be sent to Lucy Ciaramitaro at the MHA.