Category: MHA In The News

Media Covers Increasing Rate of Flu-Related Hospitalizations

Member News, MHA In The News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Jan. 5, covering the increasing rate of flu-related hospitalizations in Michigan.

Jim LeeBoth Bridge and Michigan Public published stories during the week based on interviews with Jim Lee, senior vice president, policy & data analytics, MHA.  The stories address the overall growth in influenza cases and compares how the 2025-26 flu season in Michigan started earlier than during the prior year.

“It’s too early to tell when that peak will occur, but we’re definitely experiencing flu season a little bit earlier this year in our hospitals,” said Lee to Michigan Public.

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

Rural Health Highlights MHA Media Coverage

Member News, MHA In The News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Nov. 17 covering the Rural Health Transformation Program, the MHA’s Community Impact Report and medical debt.

Bridge published a story Nov. 19 on the Rural Health Transformation Program application submitted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The article covers the lack of specific focus on rural hospitals in the application, as well as the challenges facing rural hospitals, particularly following the federal H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill. MHA Executive Vice President Laura Appel is quoted in the article, as well as members of the MHA’s Rural Health Transformation Program Task Force.

“There is nothing here. There was an opportunity to direct as much as 10% of Michigan’s funding towards health care services delivered in hospitals and none of that happened,” said Appel.

The story was also highlighted by The Washington Post in the publication’s Nov. 21 daily newsletter.

Other coverage during the week included a Gongwer article on the MHA’s 2025 Community Impact report, as well as stories from Crain’s Grand Rapids and Michigan Public on medical debt legislation.

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

9&10 News: Rising insurance rates threaten healthcare access in Northern Michigan

Member News, MHA In The News

9&10 News aired a story Nov. 11 about how health insurance rate increases will lead to lower health insurance enrollment, harming healthcare access.

MHA CEO Brian Peters is quoted in the story expressing the need to protect existing healthcare coverage tools, such as the enhanced premium tax credits.

“We cannot afford to do any more damage to what is already a fragile healthcare ecosystem in the state of Michigan,” said Peters.

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

Bridge: Five reasons health insurance rates are rising so much in Michigan

Issues in Healthcare, MHA In The News

Bridge published a story Nov. 5 sharing five reasons why health insurance rates are rising at increasing rates in the state, which included workforce challenges, expiring enhanced premium tax credits, inflation and drug prices.

MHA CEO Brian Peters is quoted in the story, discussing the benefits of hospital mergers and acquisitions when it comes to maintaining access to care and affording high fixed hospital costs. He also highlighted the MHA’s federal advocacy efforts to extend the enhanced premium tax credits.

“The cost of electronic medical record infrastructure is extraordinary today. The cost of medical liability insurance coverage, the cost of physician practice subsidization,” said Peters. “You’re better able to bear that underlying cost if you’re part of a larger system that has more capital resources.”

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

Peters Expresses Value of Hospitals While Insurance Premiums Rise

Member News, MHA In The News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Oct. 27 as MHA CEO Brian Peters discussed the value of hospitals in light of rising insurance premiums.

MIRS published a story Oct. 30 looking at the cost drivers of increasing insurance rates, interviewing several healthcare and association leaders. Peters mentioned the various costs that have increased for hospitals that are necessary to continue to provide accessible and quality services to patients, including labor, drugs, infrastructure and medical liability.

Peters also shared how “a relatively unhealthy population” showing up with “inadequate health insurance” leads to higher utilization and costs in the system.

Gongwer and The Detroit News published articles Oct. 31 on the topic as well, following approval of the 2026 health insurance rate change requests by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Peters highlighted the importance of extending the enhanced premium tax credits at the federal level.

“If the Affordable Care Act passage has proved anything, it’s that we can do a much better job of dealing with these health care challenges if people have coverage, and it’s good coverage, meaning not skinny plans, where you’ve got enormous co-pays and deductibles,” said Peters to The Detroit News.

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

FREEP Op-Ed: Access to Care is a Promise — and Hospitals Are Keeping It

Member News, MHA In The News

The Detroit Free Press published an op-ed Oct. 21 from MHA CEO Brian Peters that affirms the commitment of hospitals to patients and shares the actions hospitals are taking to keep costs low for patients. Those include moving care to more affordable settings, using lower-cost medication alternatives when appropriate, improving care coordination and expanding the behavioral health workforce.

Peters highlights the cost pressures impacting hospitals, including the rise in prescription drug costs, labor and inflation. He also discusses how public reimbursements routinely fail to cover the cost of that care and the issues it can cause to access to healthcare services when combined with rising costs.

“We’re the backbone of access: the nurse at the bedside at 3 a.m., the surgical team on call, the therapist helping a child walk again. Michigan hospital teams will keep showing up with compassion and professionalism,” Peters said.

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

Media Recap: State Budget & Vaccines

Member News, MHA In The News

The MHA received media coverage the week of Sept. 1 on the state budget and COVID-19 vaccines.

Several news outlets published stories related to the harmful impacts to healthcare found in the state budget bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives.

Adam Carlson9&10 News aired a story Sept. 2 that includes an interview with Adam Carlson, senior vice president, advocacy, MHA, explaining the cuts found in the bill.

“It includes billions of dollars in cuts that impact things like maternal health care payments to physicians and all sorts of other healthcare related cuts that are completely unnecessary,” said Carlson.

The MHA issued a press release Sept. 3 sharing the House version of the budget endangers 20,000 hospital jobs and a $4.9 billion economic loss to the state. This led to a critical reaction from the House Speaker, resulting in stories from The Detroit News and Gongwer. A MHA media statement shared responding to the Speaker’s criticism was released that evening.

“We will not be bullied away from defending our patients. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting healthcare access throughout Michigan,” said Peters in the statement, that was included in the Gongwer story.

Lastly, Bridge published an article Sept. 4 providing information on how to access the COVID-19 vaccine. The MHA provided a comment for the story from Gary Roth, DO, chief medical officer, MHA.

“Our role is to support hospitals in their efforts to increase overall vaccination uptake and avoid the spread of vaccine preventable diseases, as the evidence is indisputable that vaccines are the best tool available to prevent severe illness and save lives,” said Roth.

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

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.

Media Recap: Medicaid and Healthcare Costs

Member News, Issues in Healthcare, MHA In The News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Aug. 18 that continued to focus on the impact the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will have on Medicaid as well as comments related to the impact hospital consolidations have on healthcare access.

Gongwer published a story Aug. 20 on the impact hospital consolidations have on healthcare costs and access to care for employees. MHA CEO Brian Peters was quoted in the article disputing the claim that hospitals are profiteers.

“Bashing community hospitals and the 220,000 hospital workers who show up every day of the year to care for Michigan patients is misguided and inflammatory,” said Peters. “Hospitals are focused on providing safe, high-quality, affordable care in every community they serve.”

NPR also published a story following an interview with Peters regarding the impact the OBBBA and new work requirements will have on healthcare in Michigan.

“The state of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that as many as 700,000 Michiganders could lose coverage because of the reconciliation bill,” said Peters.

The new work requirements will necessitate that hundreds of thousands of enrollees document their eligibility every six months. Peters noted in the interview that there’s no evidence of widespread waste and abuse in the state’s Medicaid program.

“When you look at the Medicaid population here in the state of Michigan, we know that almost all of those folks are working and working full time,” said Peters.

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

Media Recap: Hospital Cost Pressures and Behavioral Health Partnerships

Member News, MHA In The News
Lauren LaPine

The MHA received media coverage the week of Aug. 4 on hospital cost pressures, behavioral health partnerships and the impact of Medicaid cuts.

Gongwer published a story Aug. 4 about a PricewaterhouseCoopers report that reviews the trends in the medical sector that are continuing to result in higher costs for services that are placing growing pressure on hospitals. The report shows that factors that include growth in drug spending and reductions in federal funding are leading to decreased hospital margins.

“This report confirms what hospitals in Michigan and across the country are living every day: skyrocketing costs, growing demand and shrinking margins,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “We cannot afford policies that slash Medicaid funding or shift more financial burden to hospitals and patients. Without sustainable support, hospitals – especially those in rural and underserved areas – face real threats of closure.”

Second Wave Michigan also published an article Aug. 5 about behavioral health partnerships that hospitals have in the state. The story looks at both policy solutions such as Senate Bill 316, as well as the partnership between Network180 and Trinity Health Grand Rapids in establishing The Behavioral Health Crisis Center to divert patients in crisis from emergency departments and jails.

Lauren LaPine“If you come to a hospital emergency department and you’re in some level of a behavioral health crisis, that hospital has to work with the CMH in the area where the patient lives,” said Lauren LaPine, senior director of legislative and public policy, MHA. “That takes a lot of time and a lot of coordination.”

MLive and Michigan Public also published stories that include mentions of the MHA following U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s visit to Helen DeVos Childre’s Hospital. The stories reference the MHA’s estimate that Michigan hospitals will lose $6 billion over the next ten years from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

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