After years of going without or paying steep premiums, he finally has insurance that covers the care he needs. Tom admits he’s made some bad decisions in his life. But signing up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act is not one of them. He contracted hepatitis C after using intravenous drugs for the first time at age 15 — […]

In one day, it passed out of committee and is up for a House vote. Despite what the bill’s proponents claim, the RFRA would enshrine discrimination on religious grounds into state law. UPDATED following House vote. There’s still time to take action. See below. It’s happening even faster than we’d feared. Following a hearing, the Michigan House of Representatives House […]

Before Obamacare, they couldn’t afford health insurance — which meant a chronic illness went undiagnosed for years. Dolly and Chip Harris had a dream: They wanted to start their own restaurant. In 1996, they left their jobs, which meant losing the health insurance Chip got through work. They worked hard to make their new business a success, but luck wasn’t […]

Hearings set for Dec. 3 and 4 on two pieces of legislation critical to the LGBT community and beyond. Take action now. If you believe that every Michigander deserves equal protection under the law — with no exceptions — the time to be heard is now. The Michigan Legislature is holding hearings on two pieces of legislation this week that […]

She sees the benefits of Obamacare, both personally and professionally. When Judy Stone, M.D., was in private practice as an infectious disease specialist, about one-third of her practice was made up of patients who could not afford to pay. But she never turned them away. “I wasn’t raised to ask for payment,” Dr. Stone says. “I was raised to believe […]

Once denied insurance at any price, Amy and her husband found a plan that works for their lifestyle and budget. One prescription for blood pressure medication. One test that showed an early-stage heart valve issue that isn’t causing any problems. That’s all it took for insurance companies to deny coverage to Amy and her husband, Mike before the Affordable Care […]

He’s a great example of how to shop for the right plan — and how the ACA gives people more choices than ever before. Jim worked 37 years for the same company, typically putting in 50-hour weeks that included travel and working weekends. It started taking a toll and he says his health began to decline. That’s why he decided […]

No one’s religious liberty is at risk, but the Michigan Legislature wants to use religion to infringe on the rights of others anyway. That didn’t take long. Less than two weeks after the midterm elections, Michigan Republicans began pushing a bill that would make it legal to discriminate on religious grounds Given the Republican majority in the Michigan Legislature — […]

You’d do your homework before buying a car or even a coffee maker, right? Shopping for insurance isn’t much different. Here are some helpful hints. The time has come: Open enrollment through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance Marketplace runs from November 15th to February 15th, 2015. If you haven’t bought insurance before, or it’s been a while, it might […]

It only took 20 minutes to sign up her 63-year-old mother for coverage she could afford. The Healthcare.gov website has gotten all the attention — for better and for worse — but when Ruma Salhi needed to find health insurance for her mother, she just picked up the phone. “I wanted to talk to a real, live person,” says Salhi, […]

The MNA is working with Michigan health systems to protect nurses and patients, even as Governor Rick Snyder stalls on meeting about statewide standards. On Wednesday, registered nurses from the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) held a press conference in front of Governor Rick Snyder’s office to discuss Michigan’s ability to safely care for an Ebola patient and demand a state […]