Pull Up Your Chair

In response to ongoing mental health challenges, the Michigan Senate plans to significantly increase Medicaid reimbursement rates by over $194.9 million as part of a larger $1.97 billion boost in health and human services spending for FY 2025. This increase, highlighted by Senator Sylvia Santana, addresses healthcare providers' financial strains, especially those serving Medicaid and Medicare patients. Key areas of focus include raising rates for outpatient facilities and enhancing payments for autism behavioral analysts, with rates potentially rising to $70 per hour.

The proposed adjustments extend to other critical services such as dental care, anesthesia, private nursing, and speech therapy. These changes are designed to improve access to care and ensure providers can continue serving Medicaid beneficiaries without financial hardship. Additionally, the Senate bill seeks to better align Medicaid payments with Medicare rates, increasing the reimbursement for specific services like urine pregnancy tests to match Medicare payments fully.

This strategic investment reflects Michigan's commitment to strengthening its mental health infrastructure, ensuring that all residents, regardless of insurance status, have access to necessary care. By addressing provider retention and service availability, the state aims to build a more robust health system that can effectively support its population's mental health needs. See MDHHS Budget SB 767.

The House spending plan for the next fiscal year has allocated an additional $53.4 million toward opioid addiction recovery programs. This funding boost supports community mental health entities, non-Medicaid hospital programs, tribal communities, and other relevant organizations. Christine Morse, chair of the Subcommittee, emphasized the state's commitment to transforming Michigan's response to the opioid crisis, aiming to reduce the state's high rates of opioid overdoses significantly. The total budget, $37.76 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, includes specific investments to enhance behavioral health services and address Substance Use Disorders (SUD). This initiative reflects a broader legislative focus on improving mental health and behavioral health services within the state, recognizing the urgent need to enhance support systems for individuals affected by opioid addiction. See MDHHS House Budget Bill HB 5556.

Bill Highlights:

The Michigan House has approved a bipartisan legislative package allowing state agencies to distribute Naloxone, an opioid overdose treatment. The two-bill package, consisting of HB 5077 by Rep. Curtis VanderWall (R-Ludington) and HB 5078 by Rep. Carrie A. Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor), extends current permissions that allow agencies to possess and administer the drug. The new legislation clarifies that state departments, public universities, municipalities, and school districts can distribute Naloxone directly. This measure aims to enhance response times in overdose situations, crucially saving lives. Both bills have passed the House with significant support and moved to the Senate for further consideration.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) renewed Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan coverage for an additional 141,471 individuals in March, increasing the total number of recipients to over 1.5 million. This update coincides with Medicaid Awareness Month, during which the significant role of Medicaid as the largest insurance program in the U.S. is highlighted. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan has reinstated annual eligibility redeterminations for Medicaid, which had been paused under the Families First Coronavirus Act but resumed in May 2023 due to new federal legislation. MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel emphasized the importance of residents submitting their renewal forms to maintain access to healthcare. To facilitate the renewal process and reduce coverage losses, MDHHS has implemented several strategies, such as coordinating renewals with SNAP and TANF benefits, allowing managed care plans to assist with renewals, and providing a grace period for submitting renewal paperwork. Additionally, MDHHS is working to reinstate eligibility for those who were previously disenrolled for procedural reasons if they are found eligible again within a 90-day reconsideration period. The state also provides a dashboard updated monthly with renewal statistics and offers guidance for those transitioning out of Medicaid to other affordable health coverage options. March Medicaid Update NR.pdf, See star’s dashboard.

Opioid addiction recovery programs would share a combined $53 million more next fiscal year under a House spending plan that moved out of subcommittee this morning.  After sending the massive $37.76 billion Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) budget to the full Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee Chair Christine MORSE (D-Kalamazoo) said the state is sitting on $100 million as DHHS officials create the infrastructure to spend what is projected to be $1.6 billion over 18 years.  “I respect that (the Department) is creating something from nothing. They’re taking a massive influx of dollars where a real comprehensive system did not exist, so I’m not going to fault them,” Morse said. “I just believe that at this point, when we have $100 million sitting on the books, we can find a way to get that out efficiently.”  DHHS officials told legislators earlier this year their goal is to take Michigan from having one of the highest rates of opioid overdose to the lowest. 

Mackinac Policy Conference May 28-31, Mackinac

National Council for Mental Wellbeing Hill Day June 5-6

WEBINAR: MDHHS will explore the new policy providing reimbursements through Medicaid. Timothy McNeill from Freedmen's Health consulting firm will cover the recent policy changes to reimbursements through Medicare. Learn about the ins and outs of payment changes and how they work for social and healthcare providers and communities.

CHWs are valuable resources for health in communities across our state, linking residents with vital resources, information, and connections to care. These new policies provide an opportunity to expand services to improve health in various ways.  

In our second webinar later this fall, we'll hear directly from CHWs on how the policies work in different care settings and learn about their experience with implementation and reimbursements.

Register to join us on May 2 by clicking the link below. Questions? Contact Grace Brooks at [email protected].

What: CHW Payment Policy for Medicaid and Medicare 
When: Thursday, May 2, 2024, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Where: Zoom 
Who: Health Fund grantees, care providers, and care communities
Register: Health Fund

Registration is now open for the Michigan League for Public Policy’s 2024 Public Policy Forum at the Lansing Center on April 15, 2024. This year's theme, "Economic Justice for All," promises insightful discussions on public health improvement and eradicating social and economic injustices, featuring keynote speakers Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Luke Shaefer. A panel moderated by Zoe Clark, with experts including Linh Song, Kim Trent, and Aditi Shrivastava, will explore cash's role in alleviating poverty and enhancing children's outcomes. Open to a broad audience, from policymakers to community members, this free forum aims to forge a bold path for economic justice in Michigan. Register here.

The Michigan Health Policy Forum (Michigan State University) is set to present its Spring 2024 Forum titled "Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges: Unleashing Innovation in Behavioral Health Care" on Monday, May 20, 2024, from 1:00 to 4:30 PM. An optional networking luncheon will precede the event from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. This in-person event will take place at Lansing Community College West Campus, 5708 Cornerstone Drive, Lansing, MI, offering free parking and limiting in-person attendance to 125 people. Registration for the luncheon requires a fee of $15.00, and attendees must register individually with their name and email. For those unable to attend in person, a livestream option will be available without registration, with the link to be distributed later. Further details, including the agenda and speaker information, can be found on their website at michiganhpf.msu.edu. For inquiries, contact [email protected].

CMHAM Fall Conference Traverse City, Oct 21-22

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