The MHA received news coverage during the week of May 12 related to federal Medicaid funding cuts and the release of the hospital economic and workforce impact data.
Crain’s Detroit Business published an article May 13 following the release of draft bill language from the House Energy and Commerce Committee as part of the budget reconciliation process, which calls for imposing federal work requirements and freezing state directed payment programs for healthcare providers.
MHA Executive Vice President Laura Appel spoke with Crain’s, expressing the MHA’s concerns on the draft language.
“We of course remain deeply concerned about things like doing redetermination of folks’ eligibility for the coverage on less than an annual basis and things like work requirements or community benefit requirements for certain folks who currently qualify for coverage,” said Appel. “All of those things are barriers to folks.”
Second Wave Michigan also published a story May 13 about potential Medicaid funding cuts, as part of their MI Mental Health Series. Lauren LaPine, senior director, legislative and public policy, MHA, is quoted in the piece discussing what impact the cuts would have to hospitals.
“A real consequence of Medicaid cuts will be closures of service lines and even hospitals,” said LaPine. “When hospitals have to cut services because Medicaid is cut, those services are lost for all patients and not just those who receive health care coverage through Medicaid. Medicaid is the single largest payer for long-term care, maternity care, and mental health services. It is a cornerstone of our health care system and keeps people healthy at every stage of life.”
The MHA also received news coverage from Gongwer and dBusiness following the release May 12 of the association’s annual Economic Impact of Healthcare report and hospital workforce survey results.
Lastly, MHA CEO Brian Peters provided a quote of support in a press release issued by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) following introduction of the Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply (MAPS) Act.
Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.