MHA Monday Report June 22, 2026

House Speaker Introduces Hospital Cost Review Board and New Health Tax

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) announced legislation June 18 that would establish a hospital cost review board and create new health facility consolidation measures. The MHA believes these proposals would severely harm hospitals, …


House Health Policy Hears Testimony on Behavioral Health Transport Legislation

Legislation addressing behavioral health transport received testimony in the House Health Policy Committee during the week of June 15, while other key healthcare bills advanced in the legislature. House Bills 5943–5944, sponsored by Reps. …


Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule Data Reporting Due July 31

The Protecting Access to Medicare Act reformed the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule by establishing a single national fee schedule based on private-market data from applicable laboratories serving Medicare beneficiaries, including hospital outreach, …


Michigan Hospital Leaders Discuss Key Healthcare Issues at Mackinac Policy Conference

Healthcare leaders from across the state joined Rich Helppie, host of The Common Bridge Podcast, May 27 at the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss key healthcare issues impacting Michigan hospitals and the communities they serve. …


MHA Releases Updated Medicaid and Medicare Enrollment Analysis

The MHA recently updated its analysis of Medicaid and Medicare enrollment using May 2026 data. The analysis includes program enrollment as a percentage of each county’s total population, along with the distribution of beneficiaries enrolled in fee-for-service …


June 26 Application Deadline: Excellence in Governance Fellowship

Applications for the 2026–27 MHA Excellence in Governance Fellowship are due June 26. The fellowship helps hospital board members strengthen their expertise and leadership skills to enhance their impact within their organizations. Trustees from small …


MDHHS Launches Michigan Psychiatric Bed Registry Dashboard

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recently launched the Michigan Psychiatric Bed Registry Dashboard, a statewide tool designed to help authorized users identify available inpatient psychiatric beds and support timely placement for …


The ‘Why’ Behind Hospital Mergers and Acquisitions

When a hospital announces a merger or acquisition, the story behind the decision is rarely as simple or straightforward as a single headline may sound. It’s often a very deliberate process that involves months of rigorous research and financial analysis, and more than anything, rooted in what’s best for the communities a hospital serves. Rural hospitals across Michigan face …


Hospitals Help: MyMichigan Health, YMCA Summer Camp Gives Kids a Closer Look at Healthcare

The YMCA of Saginaw is giving local kids a front-row seat to the world of healthcare this summer thanks to a partnership with MyMichigan Health. The Health Careers Summer Camp will run daily from June …


Michigan Hospitals, Always caring, always advancing.


The Keckley Report

‘Corporate Health Insurers’: Will the Gambit Work?

“Last week, the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare released survey results about escalating health costs placing blame squarely on ‘corporate health insurers’. The American Hospital Association, a founding member of the Coalition, reported “A survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare, found that 47% of voters believe corporate health insurers are the primary driver of rising healthcare costs, followed by the federal government at 36% and drug companies at 34%.” (AHA June 13, 2026). …

The Coalition’s survey is notable in its specific attention to “corporate insurers” and its timing: Congress and CMS are putting final touches on the FY27 federal budget, states are managing cuts to Medicaid and new work requirements and campaign 2026 looms.

Every hospital and insurer—whether not for profit or investor owned, independent or affiliated, large or small—is impacted by growing hostility toward corporatization in healthcare. How organizations respond will determine the ultimate transformation of the system.”

Paul Keckley, June 14, 2026


News to Know

The MHA and Endorsed Business Partner AMN Healthcare will host the webinar, “Maximizing Every Dollar: Using AI and Data to Strategically Plan Your Workforce and Eliminate Administrative Barriers” from 11 a.m. to noon ET July 15.


MHA in the News

Lauren LaPine-Ray, vice president, policy & rural health, MHA, and executive director, MHA Center of Rural Excellence, spoke with Crain’s Detroit Business following the June 16 closure announcement for Sturgis Hospital. LaPine-Ray highlighted the significant …

MHA Member Provides Testimony to House Health Policy Committee; Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact Bills Clear Committee

The House Health Policy Committee heard testimony from stakeholders on legislation to establish a Physician Assistant (PA) Licensure Compact in the state and Occupational Therapy (OT) Licensure Compact bills were voted to the House floor during the week of April 14.

Mandy Shelast, president, Marshfield Medical Center- Dickinson provided testimony on zoom in support of the PA Licensure Compact.

House Bill (HB) 4309, sponsored by Rep. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River), would add Michigan into the PA Licensure Compact, which is an interstate licensure compact allowing PAs to practice in other states participating within the compact. Other states that belong to the compact include Ohio, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Minnesota, Virginia, Delaware, Tennessee, Maine, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, Colorado, Montana and Washington. MHA member Mandy Shelast, president, Marshfield Medical Center- Dickinson, provided testimony in support of the legislation and shared how the compact would address specific logistical barriers in access to care at her facility in the Upper Peninsula.

HB 4103, sponsored by Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) and HB 4104, sponsored by Rep. Doug Wozniak (R-Shelby Township), were reported with recommendation to the House floor. These MHA supported bills create a licensure compact agreement for occupational therapists in the state. The MHA looks forward to continued movement on these bills that seek to improve workforce development and access to care.

Members with additional questions may reach out to Elizabeth Kutter at the MHA.