Healthy Michigan, a statewide health plan launched in April, has already surpassed its original two-year goal, reaching more than 480,000 enrollees in eight months.
When the plan launched, it’s goal was 500,000. Today, just north of 481,000 residents have signed up for the program, Gov. Rick Snyder and the state’s Department of Community Health announced.
Interestingly, the expansion of Medicaid in Michigan started the day after open enrollment season closed, on March 31, which prompted concern over whether the state would reach its enrollments goals.
“Today, nearly a half-million previously uninsured residents have access to the health resources they need to lead healthy, productive lives and to keep Michigan moving forward,” Gov. Snyder said in a statement.
Since its launch, the Healthy Michigan Plan has already resulted in more than 241,000 primary care visits, 74,000 preventive care visits, 22,900 mammograms, and 10,900 colonoscopie, officials said.
“As we look ahead, our focus will be on ensuring that beneficiaries not only have the necessary health resources they need, but also understand how to use them,” MDCH Director Nick Lyon said.
As part of the ongoing effort to assess the goals and results of the Healthy Michigan Plan, MDCH recently commissioned the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation to complete a five-year study of the plan’s implementation. The study also satisfies a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services federal waiver requirement to commission an independent evaluation of the Healthy Michigan Plan.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
More than 400,000 Michigan residents had enrolled in the program through September, In early July, the state had already surpassed the entire first-year enrollment goal by reaching 323,000.
The plan was signed into law by Snyder in September 2013 as part of an attempt to reduce uncompensated care that shifts costs onto taxpayers and businesses. Beneficiaries are required to share in the costs, and the plan has incentives for individuals to maintain or improve their health, officials said.
Health coverage under the Healthy Michigan Plan includes both federally and state mandated essential health benefits, including ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, mental health and substance use disorder services.
