“Is public health prepared for the future?” was a question posed and answered today by Michigan Association of Local Public Health Executive Director Norm Hess. The answer, he said, is no.

During his presentation before the House Health Policy Committee, Hess said the current local public health system is underfunded, understaffed and underappreciated, which could lead to a decreased ability to respond if the state faces another widespread public health emergency.

Hess said part of the problem comes from divided public perception about public health after health officers had to make “very difficult decisions” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Public health officers were sometimes faced with option one, which was sticky, option two, which was even stickier than option one and option three, which was the worst of all,” he said. “They had to choose which one they thought was going to save the most lives and prevent hospitalizations.”

Health officers were often demonized for their decisions, he said, but they were also part of the ranks of those with parents in nursing homes and children who couldn’t play basketball.

“Anyone who tells you that health officers were kind of doing this as a power trip or some sort of conspiracy to control people’s lives, that is not the case,” Hess [Read More]

By EWA MATUSZEWSKI
We are entering the era of the community health worker (CHW). With decades-old roots in public and community health, it took a pandemic to truly recognize the value of the community health worker role in connecting community with clinician. Now it’s time to spread the word.

There are few barriers to entry for this in-demand position. It doesn’t require a college degree or a healthcare background. The basic requirements are a high school diploma or equivalent and being at least 18 years old.  The average annual salary is about $45,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Plus, the CHW role truly welcomes all – immigrants with knowledge of navigating the system as a native speaker, the differently-abled who can assess how various physical or emotional challenges are impacting their assigned population, and those familiar with health equity – and inequity.

Comprehensive training is mandatory for a community health worker, though – 166 hours, including an internship, in order to receive a Certificate and work in the State of Michigan. The state’s certification program is in its infancy, by the way, but it’s on the right track in recognizing the value of community health workers as a conduit between the community and the many facets [Read More]

By DANIEL AYYASH, WACHLER & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

Overview

On February 28, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new efforts by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) through its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the quality and safety of nursing homes, protect vulnerable residents and the healthcare heroes who care for them, and crack down on bad actors. The Administration expressed its commitment to these urgent actions as its first steps toward fulfilling a broader goal to ensure taxpayer dollars go towards the safe, adequate, and respectful care seniors and people with disabilities deserve – not to the pockets of predatory owners and operators who seek to maximize their profits at the expense of vulnerable residents’ health and safety. To carry out these reforms, CMS is implementing several new strategies and revamping compliance and enforcement programs across the board.

Ensuring Taxpayer Dollars Support Nursing Homes That Provide Safe, Adequate, and Dignified Care

CMS is launching four new initiatives to ensure that residents get the quality care they need, and that taxpayers pay for. These initiatives aim to help ensure adequate staffing, dignity and safety in their accommodations, and quality care.

• Establish a Minimum Nursing Home Staffing Requirement: CMS intends to propose minimum standards for staffing [Read More]
  

By KIMBERLY J. RUPPEL & CHRISTOPHER J. RYAN
Non-compete provisions are common in healthcare employment agreements. These provisions are designed to prohibit an employed or contracted provider from competing against the contracting entity by working for or starting a competing business within a certain geographic area for a set period of time. As the Michigan Court of Appeals has indicated, “[i]n a medical setting, a restrictive covenant can protect against unfair competition by preventing the loss of patients to departing physicians, protecting an employer’s investment in specialized training of a physician, or protecting an employer’s confidential business information or patient lists.”[1] Today, courts deciding whether a non-compete provision is enforceable do so where it can be shown that it protects an employer’s reasonable competitive business interests, and where the agreement is reasonable as to duration, geographic area, and the type of employment or line of business that it covers. [2]

In January, the Federal Trade Commission proposed new rules regarding employment related non-compete agreements in response to President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order. The Executive Order expressly identified the healthcare sector as one area where limitations on non-competes will be encouraged in order to purportedly build economic momentum and promote mobility of employment.

The new [Read More]

Lansing Lines is presented in cooperation with MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.

MDHHS Receives Part Of $800M Opioid Settlement Payment

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services was approved to spend $39.2 million of the $800 million that would go to state and local governments from the $26 billion settlement from the three largest pharmaceutical distributors and Johnson & Johnson.

MDHHS said the funds would be spent toward treatment providers, recovery supports, harm reduction, and prevention programs for people with substance abuse disorders.

“In Michigan, we are using this long-term funding to address the multi-generational impact of the opioid epidemic as well as address racial disparities that exist as part of the opioid crisis,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said.

MDHHS will also use the opioid settlement funds to expand capacity for treatment.  The expansion would include a review of expanding treatment facilities, which can’t be done with federal funds.

The $800 million would be paid to the state over 18 years.

All 83 county governments and several local governments will split $400 million, which is 50% of the initial payment.

The settlement agreement was reached in 2021 and the first payment was made in 2022.

Nursing Home Workers Get $1.50 Hourly Raise In Budget

The proposed $35.5 billion 2024 budget for the  Michigan [Read More]

By JULIE APPLEBY
In a speech on Nov. 2, 2020, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden promised, “I’ll not only restore Obamacare; I’ll build on it.”

Two years and counting since then, how is he doing in meeting that promise?

KHN has teamed up with our partners at PolitiFact to monitor 100 key promises — including this one — made by Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. The pledges touch on issues related to improving the economy, responding to calls for racial justice, and combating climate change. On health care, they range from getting covid-19 under control and improving veterans’ health care to codifying Roe v. Wade. KHN has recently done progress checks on the administration’s pledges to lower the costs of prescription drugs and to reduce the nation’s maternal mortality rate.

Eight days into his tenure as president, Biden signed an executive order aimed at strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. A couple of months later, he signed his first major piece of legislation, the American Rescue Plan, which included provisions expanding eligibility for subsidies and increasing premium tax credits available to help low- and moderate-income Americans purchase ACA coverage.

That legislation also offered financial incentives to encourage the 12 states that had declined to expand Medicaid eligibility to do so.

The consumer subsidies were originally set to expire this year [Read More]

By HANNAH NORMAN
The same devices used to take selfies and type out tweets are being repurposed and commercialized for quick access to information needed for monitoring a patient’s health. A fingertip pressed against a phone’s camera lens can measure a heart rate. The microphone, kept by the bedside, can screen for sleep apnea. Even the speaker is being tapped, to monitor breathing using sonar technology.

In the best of this new world, the data is conveyed remotely to a medical professional for the convenience and comfort of the patient or, in some cases, to support a clinician without the need for costly hardware.

But using smartphones as diagnostic tools is a work in progress, experts say. Although doctors and their patients have found some real-world success in deploying the phone as a medical device, the overall potential remains unfulfilled and uncertain.

Smartphones come packed with sensors capable of monitoring a patient’s vital signs. They can help assess people for concussions, watch for atrial fibrillation, and conduct mental health wellness checks, to name the uses of a few nascent applications.

Companies and researchers eager to find medical applications for smartphone technology are tapping into modern phones’ built-in cameras and light sensors; microphones; accelerometers, which detect body movements; gyroscopes; and even speakers. The [Read More]

By EWA MATUSZEWSKI
“Virtual behavioral health visits fail to meet the needs of patients.”

Wow. Pretty strong positioning statement, don’t you think? And yes, I wanted to catch your attention. Alarming media reports over the past month have noted that certain online mental health providers were quick to prescribe medication for mental health treatment – sometimes with tragic consequences – when talk therapy may have sufficed. But it’s not a one-sided story and I think the statement is worthy of close examination. Frankly, I both agree and disagree with it.

First, one must look at life prior to the inception of virtual visits. How many people who needed behavioral healthcare did not receive it due to the stigma associated with behavioral health? From embarrassment, fear of being seen leaving a clinic, the lack of a trusted clinician provider to confide in – or simply the failure to recognize and prioritize how vital mental health is to overall health – the reasons for in-person treatment reluctance or avoidance abound.

Access to care has been a buzzword for years in healthcare, and the accessibility that comes with virtual visits cannot be denied, with clinicians able to see a greater number of patients regardless of location. Now, people can use their lunch [Read More]

By ALLISON TUOHY
Merging with or acquiring healthcare entities can often be complex, with many competing considerations. As purchase price is contemplated, acquiring entities are not only evaluating the profits of the entity being acquired but also considering key employees and the value they provide post-closing. Key employees and service providers undoubtedly bring significant value to healthcare practices and companies through their industry-specific expertise and experience. An acquiring entity must conduct due diligence to assess what measures can or are being implemented to incentivize key employees to remain with the new entity post-closing. Incentives such as retention bonuses and stock options tend to work well when utilized alone, but can also be implemented with restrictive covenants. Restrictive covenants may include confidentiality/non-disclosure, non-solicitation, and non-competition (“non-compete”) agreements. Non-competes can be implemented post-closing and post-employment.

Sellers of healthcare entities typically agree to a post-closing restrictive covenant that prevents the seller from engaging in competition or soliciting the target company’s patients or employees for a certain time. The main objectives are to preserve the value of the purchase for the buyer and prevent the loss of key employees. Sellers and key employees may also be required to sign post-employment restrictive covenants. In Michigan, post-employment restrictive covenants are permissible so long [Read More]

OAG Repeats UIA Pandemic Performance In Penultimate Report

The second-to-last report ordered by the Legislature of the Unemployment Insurance Agency was released by the Office of Auditor General and rehashed issues that plagued the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 126-page OAG report flagged 14 issues and made two observations that are a return to the previous excoriating audits of the UIA that have been released since 2021. The Legislature ordered five audits before the resignation of former UIA Director Steve Gray in 2020 over issues of mismanagement, fraud, and waste during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“What we are seeing with this report is a rehash of issues that have been addressed, addressed and addressed again, and not only have been addressed in other audits and in oversight committees, but have also been remediated,” UIA Director Julia Dale said.

Several audit findings called out the billions in overpayments through several federal bailout funds that were available during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and people who were using fraud to claim more money than they should.

The audit called out funds that were fraudulently paid out that could have been stopped if there were rules implemented, after the rules had been turned off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dale said many of the fraudsters were attracted to the system when the [Read More]

By ROLF LOWE
Effective February 4, 2023, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will allow Medicaid reimbursement for behavioral health services provided by recent graduates of board-approved master’s or doctoral level psychology, social work, counseling or marriage and family therapy educational training program who have completed all the requirements for a limited or temporary license as specified in the respective licensing rules for each discipline, but have not yet obtained a license from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The change in coverage was announced by MDHHS on January 5, 2023, in Michigan Medicaid Policy (MMP) Bulletin 23-02.

While the MMP Bulletin expands the behavioral health workforce able to treat Medicaid Beneficiaries, it does contain a requirement that the  graduate providers are supervised by a Medicaid enrolled, fully licensed provider of the same profession, and graduate providers are not eligible to enroll or be directly reimbursed by the Medicaid program. The services are to be billed to the Medicaid program under the National Provider Identifier (NPI) of the Medicaid enrolled supervisor. There is also a time limit on these type of supervisory relationships, with Medicaid allowing the arrangement for a period of no longer than one year from the date the [Read More]

By MICHAEL McAULIFF
In what has become an almost yearly ritual, physician groups are arguing that patients will have greater difficulty finding doctors who accept Medicare if lawmakers allow pay cuts to happen.

A more than 4,000-page draft government spending bill released by lawmakers in mid December proposed much smaller-than-planned cuts to Medicare payments. But the bill, which Congress hoped to pass to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown, would not go as far as doctors wanted.

“Despite overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support to stop the full Medicare physician payment cut, Congress failed once again to end the cycle of harmful Medicare cuts, showing a disregard for vulnerable seniors,” the Surgical Care Coalition, an organization representing surgeons and anesthesiologists, said in a statement.

The doctors’ lobbying campaign had gained traction on Capitol Hill. A bipartisan group of 115 House lawmakers rallied behind doctors in a letter to congressional leaders and President Joe Biden last week, urging them to prevent cuts that they argued would “only make a bad situation far worse” for Medicare patients.

In recent years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services scheduled the pay cuts to offset the cost of increasing payments for underpaid services, like primary care. Physicians also stand to see reductions tied to broad cuts [Read More]

An estimated 3.5 million Michiganders are expected to travel more than 50 miles between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, just as the numbers of flu cases and COVID-19 cases have started to rise in the state.

The flu season and COVID-19 numbers are tracking upward in the state, according to data from the  Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) The weekly reported COVID-19 cases were at 13,043 on recently with 181 deaths for the week.  During a recent seven-day period the rate of flu cases went from low to moderate in the state.

The rate of spread for COVID-19 is between low and moderate in the state as of Dec. 15, with most population centers being in the moderate level.  However, Menominee and Dickinson counties are still at a high rate of transmission.

The number of people getting the flu vaccine is lower this year than it has been in years, with more than 2.7 million people who have got the vaccine for the year.  The goal of the MDHHS is 4 million.

MDHHS data shows 69.1% of the state has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of the bivalent [Read More]

By EWA MATUSZEWSKI
Over the course of the last three months, I’ve moved from internships to mentoring to negotiations. It’s as if I’m ascending the career ladder in these columns! Truthfully, the art of successful leadership is due in part to the ability to negotiate. I bring up the topic because a colleague recently commented on the many new arrangements (and yes, risks) our organization has taken on throughout 2022; and where there are business deals, there are negotiations. That led to a conversation on multiple communication tangents, including stakeholders, motives, preparation, questions, goals, agenda, flexibility and communication.

Part of my leadership approach is believing that just because someone told me “no” on a business matter doesn’t mean I have to accept that as the final answer. Without going into specifics due to confidentiality, MedNetOne was recently rejected from a national government program that was very important to our expansion. The rejection stung, in part, of course, because no one likes to be rejected, but chiefly because our organization had been entrenched in the activities that were the focus of the national program, including health equity, social determinants of health and primary care innovation with federally qualified health centers. My leadership team requested a meeting to discuss [Read More]

By JENNI COLAGIOVANNI & DANIEL AYASH
On November 1, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published its Final Rule implementing changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for CY 2023. Included within this Final Rule are important changes for clinical laboratories that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

There are two notable changes affecting clinical labs included in the Final Rule. First, CMS is implementing congressionally mandated changes to reporting obligations under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, which updates reporting timelines and limits the phase-in of laboratory test payment reductions. Second, CMS is issuing regulations to both codify and modify policies on billing Medicare for specimen collection fees and travel allowances. The changes also increase specimen collection payment rates that had previously remained unchanged for years. Specifically, as it relates to specimen collection, the changes may affect codes 36415, G0471, P9612, and P9615, but do not appear to relate to codes G2023 and G2024. As the regulations relate to travel allowances, the changes may affect codes P9603 and P9604.

Following the implementation of PAMA in 2014, Medicare has established the clinical laboratory fee schedule rates based on data reported by applicable laboratories on the payment rates they receive from commercial payors. Under PAMA, [Read More]

HHS Proposes Rule on Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records

By ANGELINA M. GONZALEZ
On Dec. 2, 2022, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modify portions of Part 2 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations which protect the confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records. See 87 Fed.Reg. 74216. Currently, Part 2 imposes different confidentiality requirements for substance use disorder treatment records than the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy, Security, Breach Notification, and Enforcement Rules apply to protected health information. Thus, entities governed by Part 2 and HIPAA have competing legal obligations. HHS intends to address these inconsistencies through the Proposed Rule.

While HIPAA takes a more permissive approach to the disclosure of PHI by healthcare providers for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, Part 2 does not. Part 2 generally requires record holders to obtain prior written consent before disclosing records related to substance use disorder treatment to any third party. The only exceptions provided in Part 2 for record disclosure without prior authorization are for medical emergencies, research, program audits, and certain limited court-ordered disclosures. The [Read More]

Lansing Lines is presented in cooperation with MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.

Health Officials Didn’t Need County Commissioners’ Signoff To Mandate Masks In School

The Ottawa County health department’s now-defunct mask mandates in schools did not require the county board of commissioners’ approval, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled.

The three-judge panel acknowledged the parents’ argument that the state’s Public Health Code, requires a board of commissioners approve or disapprove a regulation adopted by a local health department.

However, “there is no language indicating that the same approval process applies to an order issued by a local health officer,” reads the published opinion from Judges Jane Markey, Elizabeth Gleicher and Michelle Rick.

The plaintiffs, a half-dozen parents led by Patrick Flynn, argued that a “regulation” includes an “order,” but the appellate panel held the state health code refers to the two terms separately, not interchangeably.

The panel also noted that the Public Health Code gives health officers authorization to issue emergency orders in response to an epidemic.

Although the issue is moot because the Ottawa County health department’s mask order expired in January, the appeals panel said they addressed the issue because it has “public significance,” and emergency orders are likely to recur – although not likely related to COVID-19 – without judicial review.

The county’s health officer’s [Read More]

Proposal 3, arguably the top driver for many voters who headed to the polls today, passed today.

The proposal inscribes the right to an abortion, and other reproductive issues, into the Michigan Constitution after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the practice nationally. It was projected by Mark Grebner of Practical Political Consultants to draw between 10,000 and 20,000 new young female voters.

“Michigan, we made it happen! Your votes helped #RestoreRoe and protect #ReproductiveFreedom for generations to co come. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, hosted a yard sign, and voted for #Proposal3 this election!” reads the tweet from Reproductive Freedom For All, the group that spearheaded Proposal 3.

Reproductive Freedom for All was already putting the ballot initiative together before the ruling in the Dobbs decision. Weeks later, the participation level in the drive to collect signatures for the proposal revealed a spike in interest after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

The ballot proposal effort collected the highest number of signatures in Michigan history.

The road to the finish line wasn’t easy, as a coalition spearheaded by the Catholic church and Right to Life spent nearly $25.6 in advertising to abort it at the ballot box.

Reproductive Freedom for All was able to nearly match the advertising spending with nearly $22 [Read More]

By FRED SCHULTE
Two-year-old Zion Gastelum died four days after receiving baby root canals and crowns at Kool Smiles, a private equity-affiliated dental clinic in Yuma, Arizona. In a lawsuit, which was settled in 2021, his parents accused the clinic and the investment firm of putting profits ahead of patient safety. The clinic and investment firm denied liability. The boy’s death was featured on ABC15 Arizona on Jan. 4, 2018.

Two-year-old Zion Gastelum died just days after dentists performed root canals and put crowns on six baby teeth at a clinic affiliated with a private equity firm.

His parents sued the Kool Smiles dental clinic in Yuma, Arizona, and its private equity investor, FFL Partners. They argued the procedures were done needlessly, in keeping with a corporate strategy to maximize profits by overtreating kids from lower-income families enrolled in Medicaid. Zion died after being diagnosed with “brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen,” according to the lawsuit.

Kool Smiles “overtreats, underperforms and overbills,” the family alleged in the suit, which was settled last year under confidential terms. FFL Partners and Kool Smiles had no comment but denied liability in court filings.

Private equity is rapidly moving to reshape health care in America, coming off a banner year in 2021, when [Read More]

By EWA MATUSZEWSKI
I was overwhelmed by the response to my October column on internships. It’s a topic that resonated with readers for varying reasons – whether they recalled fond memories of their own internship or saw the impact of internship programs, formal or informal, at their own organization. I want to continue in a similar vein this month by taking the logical jump from internships to mentoring. While I did include mentoring in the conversation last month, I didn’t really dissect it until someone recently asked me if I had a mentor in my early career.

It took me a split second to acknowledge one of my earliest mentors, Myra Lenard. Long deceased, Myra’s leadership example is very much alive in guiding my actions to this day. I was in my late teens and early twenties when I first worked with Myra. I was an intern of sorts for the Polish American Congress and Myra, a Polish immigrant like I am, was the Executive Director of the Washington, D.C. office of the Polish American Congress. I didn’t live in D.C. but flew in as part of the local grass roots activities I was spearheading in Detroit’s Polish community for a national presidential campaign.

It didn’t happen overnight, [Read More]

By ROLF LOWE
Effective Dec. 1, 2023, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced in Medical Services Administration (MSA) Bulletin 22-38 that it will be eliminating the remaining temporary suspensions of certain provider enrollment and revalidation requirements issued in the spring of 2020, shortly after the COVID 19 pandemic and federal emergency disrupted the normal course of business for providers and MDHHS.  On April 30, 2020, MDHHS released MSA Bulletin 20-28, temporarily suspending certain Medicaid, Healthy Michigan, Maternity Outpatient Medical Services (MOMS), Children’s Special Health Care Services (CSHCS) and MI Health Link provider enrollment and revalidation requirements. The bulletin, which had an effective date of March 1, 2020, was intended to relax, and reduce potential administrative burdens on providers as they adapted to the challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic. MSA suspended the following federal provider enrollment requirements:

Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System (CHAMPS) Enrollment Revalidations;

Site visits for prospective and current providers;

Fingerprint-based criminal background checks associated with providers in the high-risk level category; and

Payment of application fees – (Providers required to pay an application fee were able to request a postponement of the fee by declaring the payment a hardship during their CHAMPS enrollment or revalidation).

In the bulletin, MSA also described certain restrictions [Read More]

By ERICA ERMAN
One interstate compact you may not have heard of yet that could be very helpful for the behavioral health field is the Interstate Compact for Counselor Licensure. As of August 4, 2022, the Counselor Compact now has 17 members – Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia (the first state to enact the Counseling Compact), Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, Utah – and The Compact became active when ten states passed it.

This month, the Compact Commission will convene for the first time in October of 2022! According to the Compact’s website, “The Commission will adopt initial bylaws and rules to carry out the Compact. The Commission will also provide for creating an interstate licensure data system allowing for rapid verification of practitioners’ good standing and sharing of disciplinary information among member states. This activation process generally takes up to a year or longer.”

This Compact is for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) only. It specifically does not include licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), or psychologists.

The Compact website FAQ page notes, “If your state uses a title different than but equivalent to LPC (e.g., LMHC, LPCC), and you are a counselor who can independently diagnose, assess, [Read More]

Lansing Lines is presented in cooperation with MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.

Hospitals In Low Population Counties Could Become Non-Profits Under Bill

A Sen. Wayne A. Schmidt (R-Traverse City) bill allowing qualifying county hospitals to convert to non-profit designations heard testimony before the House Health Policy Committee and was voted out unanimously.

SB 1055 , which passed the Senate unanimously in June, was passed out of committee 18-0 after Schmidt testified in favor.

The bill would amend the Municipal Health Facilities Corporations Act to allow Helen Newberry Joy Hospital and Healthcare Center in Luce County to restructure as a nonprofit.

The county hospital is a 25-bed critical access facility that has been providing ancillary out-patient and surgical services since 1965, in addition to operating four rural health clinics and a 39-bed long-term care unit.

In recent years, the hospital has struggled to respond to a changing healthcare landscape and seek certain forms of grant funding, said Hunter Nostrant, who testified in support of the bill on behalf of HNJH.

The change in designation would allow more seamless future affiliations and partnerships, he said.

HNJH isn’t the first hospital to change their designation in Michigan, with several 2016 amendments to the Act allowing public health corporations in Mecosta, Alpena and Branch counties to restructure and [Read More]

By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN
Half of voters say the Supreme Court’s decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion has made them more motivated to vote in next month’s midterm elections, with enthusiasm growing especially among Democrats and those living in states with abortion bans, according to a new poll from Kaiser Family Foundation.

The survey also showed that most voters, whether they are Democrats or Republicans, do not think abortion should be prohibited in cases of rape or incest, nor do they support laws that set criminal punishments for abortion providers and women who have abortions.

The findings, collected in late September through KFF’s regular survey of public opinion on health care issues, highlight that even the majority of Republican voters oppose some of the laws that have strictly restrained abortion access — including for those who have been raped — that are now in effect in Republican-led states such as Texas and Missouri. However, states with such strict standards have so far authorized abortions to save the life of a mother.

Bottom of Form

With Democrats currently holding control of the House of Representatives and the Senate by narrow margins and several close races underway, control of Congress could hinge on voter turnout. And while voters are less likely to pick [Read More]

Abortion providers and medical providers are pushing to pass Proposal 3 next month to keep the money coming in the door and to shield themselves from potential legal action down the road, according to Democrats who opposed the constitutional amendment on the Capitol lawn.

A handful of speakers led by the “Democrats for Life” argued that passing the Reproductive Freedom for All initiative will mean abortions with no limitation or oversight.

The message coming out of the event was Proposal 3 will eventually eliminate all statutory regulations over abortion. The courts will have no choice but to side with the broad constitutional language that allows for abortion, regardless of age, up until a subjective point of fetal viability.

“We’re putting the decision not in the hands of women, but in the hands of providers who stand to make a profit,” said Kristen Day, executive director of the national organization Democrats for Life. “So, as Democrats, we never advocate for profits over the health and safety of people.”

Once the courts get done with overturning current statutory limitations on abortion, girls at any age will be able to seek an abortion without parental consent, said Monica Galloway, a former Flint City Councilmember.

“This proposition is going to destroy families,” she said. “It will [Read More]