News

A report released today by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) shows that since 2010, the state of Michigan has received close to a half billion dollars in grant funding to develop and implement programs and services as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Michigan received $489.4 million from March 2010, when the ACA became law, through the most recent fiscal year ending in September 2014, ranking 14th nationally in awarded ACA grant funds. In fiscal year 2014, Michigan received $183.9 million and placed ninth.

“ACA grant funding has contributed to a range of services and programs to improve access to care,” says Marianne Udow-Phillips, CHRT’s director. “In particular, there are new and expanded sites for Federally Qualified Health Centers, expanded training programs to enhance health care workforce capacity, and considerable funding to the state of Michigan to test new models of financing and delivering health care.”
 
Nearly $21.4 billion in grants was awarded across all 50 states and the District of Columbia from March 2010 through fiscal year 2014.

CHRT’s issue brief, “Affordable Care Act Funding: An Analysis of Grant Programs under Health Care Reform – FY2010-FY2014,” reviews grant programs funded by the ACA and shows how funding in different categories has changed over the years.

For example, funding to help states reform their private insurance markets and establish state-based health insurance marketplaces declined, while funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers and disease prevention programs increased.

“This brief aims to help leaders understand the scope of the ACA’s impact in Michigan and nationally. The impact of the law goes far beyond the coverage changes that have received the most public notice,” says Udow-Phillips.
 
In Michigan, the bulk of the grant and demonstration project funding went to the state of Michigan, including the Department of Community Health, to support new health care delivery models and various community health programs. The next largest funding category in Michigan was for health centers.
 
Here are some examples of ACA-funded efforts across Michigan:

• Cherry Health, a federally qualified health care center in West Michigan, received $7 million in FY2014 to create a new facility in Barry County that offers medical, dental and behavioral health services and to renovate and expand access at three existing health centers in the Grand Rapids area. Cherry Health also received ACA funds to increase its education and community assistance to help individuals understand their health insurance options.
• The Detroit Wayne County Health Authority received nearly $5 million in FY2014—its second year of ACA grant funding—to support Authority Health, its community-based teaching health center. Authority Health provides training in five primary care residencies and offers one fellowship in Wayne County. The program offers post-graduate rotations at federally qualified health centers, physician practice sites, community mental health agencies, and other provider sites. The three-year grant will allow Authority Health to train 85 primary care residents, 53 of whom are currently in training.
• The University of Michigan, in partnership with the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative, received $1.8 million in FY2014. The funds are the first installment of a three-year grant, totaling $6.9 million, to implement the Michigan Surgical and Health Optimization Program (MSHOP) in 40 hospitals across the state. MSHOP seeks to improve surgical outcomes and reduce health care costs by using data to inform surgical decisions and help high-risk patients better prepare for major abdominal surgeries (such as cardiovascular and cancer surgeries).

For a comparison of ACA funding levels, please read “Affordable Care Act Funding: An Analysis of Grant Programs under Health Care Reform – FY2010-FY2014,” available at chrt.test.