Montanans are a special breed of Americans. They are fiercely independent and, in general, quite conservative. However, one thing that most folks from Montana have no patience for is when outsiders come into their state, run down their elected officials, and try to tell them how to vote. That’s exactly what the Koch brothers corporatist front group Americans for Prosperity […]

Almost exactly two years ago, Gov. Rick Snyder was on the fence about Medicaid expansion in Michigan. His chief concern was whether or not we have enough doctors to provide health care instead of people “simply going to an emergency room”: “I want to make sure we have access and high quality care if we’re to look into something like […]

Prove to your constituents that you care about everyone in the state — not just big-money special interests. Dear Governor Snyder: I didn’t vote for you in either election, but you are Michigan’s governor. I haven’t agreed with you on much, but you did support Medicaid expansion in Michigan, although you could have done a lot more to urge the […]

Study released by the University of Michigan shows how Michigan may set an example for other states.

Back when Michigan legislators were debating whether to expand Medicaid in our state through the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), Rick Snyder expressed his concern that our state didn’t “have enough capacity to put essentially 400,000 more people into a medical home model with a primary care environment, as opposed to having them simply go to an ER”. That’s the sort […]

It’s not just good for the state budget — it’s good for the health of current and former prisoners, which may help keep them from returning to prison. I wrote more than a year ago about the benefits Medicaid expansion would bring to Michigan, including a boost to the health of Michigan’s citizens and its economy, with $1 billion in […]

One 27-year-old with multiple part-time jobs on how important — and easy — it is to get health insurance. With apologies to James Brown, Marcus Laban may be the hardest-working man in show business. He works part-time for a casting director, directs high school plays on a seasonal basis and just ended a tour with the Michigan Shakespeare Festival. To […]

Medicare is healthier, too, and it’s all thanks to Obamacare. July 30th marks the 49th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, and both programs are looking better than they were just a few years ago. As LOLGOP wrote earlier, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has already extended the life of Medicare by 13 years — and that’s just one piece of […]

People are still signing up thanks to ongoing Marketplace enrollment opportunities and Medicaid expansion. June 28 marks the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As of June 27, an estimated 8.6 million people had signed up for a qualified health plan, with another 6.4 to 8.6 million signing up for Medicaid and CHIP, […]

The response has been outstanding, but there are still more uninsured Michiganders to reach—and Enroll Michigan is on it. You might say there was some pent-up demand. Michigan’s Medicaid expansion program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) didn’t launch until April 1, so uninsured Michiganders had to wait three extra months to enroll in the Healthy Michigan Plan. That’s because […]

Getting health insurance turns one woman’s diagnosis from terminal to hopeful. A cancer diagnosis is terrifying enough. The only thing that’s worse? Knowing you don’t have insurance and can’t possibly afford to pay for treatment. Marion N. Seidel has been uninsured since she changed jobs seven years ago. She’s worked the same job ever since, but could never afford her […]