Great Lakes Wire

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced that the Healthy Michigan Plan recently hit a milestone, providing health care coverage to more than 1 million Michiganders.

According to a news release, the Healthy Michigan Plan is currently providing affordable and accessible health care coverage to 1 million Michigan residents. The Healthy Michigan Plan was established in 2014 by bipartisan legislation that Whitmer, as then Senate Democratic leader, helped pass.

“Today, 1 million Michiganders have access to affordable health care coverage under the Healthy Michigan Plan, which is a testament to what’s possible when we work side by side to get things done,” said Whitmer, according to the release. “When I was in the legislature, I worked across the aisle with a Republican governor [Rick Snyder] to establish Healthy Michigan. [Now] I have the honor to watch this successful program cover 1 million and counting of our neighbors, family and friends. 

"Healthy Michigan has helped so many Michiganders get the care they need to thrive, and I will work with anyone to bolster the program, expand coverage, and lower the cost of health care,” she added.

The program is administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The department has helped simplify the application process to help ensure that Michiganders can easily access health care benefits without overly burdensome procedural requirements.

“I am proud of the hard work our team has done to increase access to health care coverage,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel, according to the news release. “This is not just about a number. For each of the 1 million enrollees, there is a story of how Healthy Michigan Plan has made their lives better.”

Karen Parrott had no health insurance before enrolling in the Healthy Michigan Plan and receiving coverage through UnitedHealthCare. Parrott said she was depressed, had numbness in her limbs and was imbalanced, but didn’t see a doctor. Because of those symptoms, she stopped driving because she feared it would be unsafe. She recently saw a doctor to begin addressing her health issues and UnitedHealthCare put a shower chair in her shower so she could use it.

“Before I had coverage from the Healthy Michigan Plan, I was sick and depressed and didn’t know what to do,” said Parrott, 53, of Macomb County, in the release from Whitmer's office. “I hadn’t visited a doctor for eight years. Now I have a doctor and am so glad I will be able to get treatment. I’ve been sitting here depressed for months and months. And now I’m going to do something about it. Healthy Michigan Plan has been a lifesaver for me. Everyone should have access to health care coverage and see a doctor regularly. My worker Lori at UnitedHealthCare is awesome. She was a kick in the butt for me.”

Research from the University of Michigan shows that the Healthy Michigan Plan has more than doubled primary care usage, cut enrollees’ emergency room visits by 58% and decreased indigent health care by almost half.