In The Media Archive

Bloomberg cites CHRT’s nursing home policy research; argues that criticism of the Whitmer Administration is unfounded

In a Bloomberg News article, Republicans Seize on Nursing-Home Deaths to Weaken Democrats, David Welch and Gabrielle Coppola quote Marianne Udow-Phillips discussing the Center for Health and Research Transformation’s (CHRT) recent research on Michigan’s nursing-home policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michigan Republicans have asked the state’s attorney general to investigate how Governor Gretchen Whitmer handled nursing home policy during the early stages of the pandemic. This is part of a nationwide pattern of Republican lawmakers criticizing Democrats for their handling of the pandemic, and specifically for the rates of deaths in nursing homes.

Welch and Coppola argue that these accusations are unfounded. In the case of Governor Whitmer’s policies in Michigan, they observe that CHRT’s research into nursing home policies in the state found no major problems. Overall, CHRT discovered that Michigan’s hub concept worked successfully. In Michigan’s nursing home hubs as compared to non-hub nursing facilities, the percentage of COVID-19-positive residents who passed away was significantly lower. This research, conducted by Cristin Cole, Erica Matti, Robyn Rontal, Jaque King, and Marianne Udow-Phillips, evaluated Michigan’s COVID-19 nursing home strategy and made recommendations for improvements.

Udow-Phillips told Bloomberg, “I hear these allegations [against Governor Whitmer] and ask, ‘Where is the evidence?’ There is no evidence. We found the governor’s strategy to be reasonable and appropriate, especially at the time.”

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Fox 17 Interviews CHRT Health Policy Analyst Ryan Bartholomew about special open enrollment period

From February 2020 to May 2020, there was a 46 percent increase in uninsured Michiganders due to residents losing their jobs during the early days of the pandemic. This means about 834,000 Michiganders newly found themselves without insurance. Via executive order, President Biden enabled the federal government to reopen the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace for a special enrollment period from February 15th-May 15th “for those who didn’t sign up for healthcare during the fall open enrollment period, or lost their private insurance during the pandemic.”

In a Fox17 interview, Doug Reardon talked with CHRT Health Policy Analyst, Ryan Bartholomew about what the special enrollment period for ACA insurance would mean for Michiganders.

Bartholomew emphasizes that having health care coverage can save Michiganders dollars: “Just being hospitalized for COVID-19 can c[ost] tens of thousands of dollars and having health insurance can be what prevents individuals and families from going bankrupt.” This special open enrollment period will extend access to affordable health care.

“Nine-in-ten Michiganders qualify for additional support and subsidy through the exchange,” says Carrie Kincaid, vice president of individual markets for Priority Health. Many people will get help paying for their premiums, “plus you could qualify for the Healthy Michigan program or Medicaid expansions.”

For more information on marketplace rates, read CHRT’s Rate Analysis: 2021 ACA Health Insurance Marketplace for Michigan or go to www.healthcare.gov.

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CHRT Health Policy Fellow Dr. Renu Tipirneni calls for bold policy action to address disparities in COVID-19

There are significant disparities in U.S. COVID-19 cases and deaths, but the underlying mechanism of these disparities remains unknown, says Health Policy Fellow Dr. Renuka Tipirneni. Tipirneni is a co-author of a cross-sectional study, published this month in JAMA Open, on the social and demographic factors most closely associated with COVID-19 incidence and death.

In this study, Dr. Tipirneni and coauthors investigated associations between county-level social risk factors and COVID-19 incidence and death using publicly available data sets, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to offer a composite measure of community sensitivity to challenges in the face of health shocks, including disease outbreaks.

The group found that “a wide range of social factors, including socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority status, family or household composition, and environmental factors, were significantly associated with COVID-19 incidence and mortality, which are also largely considered the driving forces associated with the racial/ethnic and social disparities that are already apparent in the COVID-19 pandemic in the US.”

“To truly bend the curve of disparities in COVID-19 and any future epidemics or pandemics,” write the authors, “these social risk factors and their root causes must be addressed through bold policy action and societal investment.”

CHRT Health Policy Fellow Mark Peterson argues for more support for adults with cerebral palsy and other childhood onset disabilities

Photo of Dr. Mark Peterson Dr. Mark Peterson, one of CHRT’s 2019 health policy fellows, is in Mayo Clinic Proceedings with “Cerebral palsy grows up,” arguing that more support is required for individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) and other childhood-onset disabilities as they grow up.

The population of adults with childhood onset disabilities has increased significantly, writes Peterson. While there is very little research on this population, we do know that adults with cerebral palsy have shorter lifespans, mainly due to physical and psychological morbidities.

“While publication of more scientific research pertaining to the health of adults with CP across the lifespan will improve the state of the literature to inform evidence-based clinical practice, a more pressing issue is the complete lack of coordinated care and public assistance for this critical transition period [when children with CP become adults],” writes Peterson.

Peterson recommends that medical establishments develop systematic, coordinated care options for these populations.

In addition, he writes, “We must fund federal navigators with priority training to assist our young adults with disabilities and their caregivers… to identify the necessary health care coverage and medical specialists that children with disabilities who are transitioning to adulthood need.” Peterson emphasizes that these navigator groups should include people living with disabilities themselves.

“As people with CP and other childhood-onset disabilities grow up, we have a unique opportunity and obligation to help them live well,” Dr. Peterson concludes.

Detroit Free Press quotes Terrisca Des Jardins on the unintended consequences of hospital price transparency

In a Detroit Free Press article, Trump rule forces Michigan hospitals to reveal secret prices, JC Reindl quotes Terrisca Des Jardins on the potential consequences of hospitals’ price transparency.

New rules, which took effect Jan. 1, require hospitals to disclose the rates they have negotiated with insurers–information that was previously secret. Most hospitals in southeast Michigan have complied. The Free Press found significant differences in the price of procedures between hospitals and between insurers at the same hospital.

Supporters of the hospital price transparency rule believe price transparency will lower healthcare costs. For instance, an insurance company may demand a reduction from a hospital if it discovers that it is paying more than a competitor. Des Jardins, however, warns, “There is not yet enough evidence that shows that price transparency will indeed lower costs. Sometimes, these types of efforts have unintended consequences.”

The American Hospital Association opposed the disclosures, contending that hospitals are too overwhelmed currently with COVID-19 treatment and vaccine administration. They have asked President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team to roll back the rules. The association’s CEO Richard Pollack highlighted that hospitals should focus their time and resources on delivering patient care and giving vaccines rather than being overburdened with additional requirements.

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An all-star zoom tribute to Marianne Udow-Phillips, founding executive director of CHRT

Marianne Udow-Phillips served as director of Michigan’s Department of Human Services during Jennifer Granholm’s Administration and as a senior executive at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for over 20 years before becoming the founding executive director of CHRT in 2007.

To commemorate Marianne’s retirement from the executive director role, and to pay tribute to her many contributions to health across the state and nation, we’ve prepared a special zoom tribute with an all-star cast of colleagues, partners, and friends.

Marianne Udow-Phillips will continue to serve as an advisor to CHRT and support the success of a number of client projects after she retires from the executive director role at the end of December.

“We are deeply grateful to Marianne, as she has led the implementation of CHRT’s mission, vision, and values, leading to sustained success,” says CHRT Board Chair Tony Denton, chief operating officer of the U-M Health System, Michigan Medicine.

“Her leadership and vision to advance non-partisan, evidence-based policy and assure access to care for all, improve population health, and advance social justice have had an enormous impact in Michigan and beyond.”

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Riba and Adams op-ed: Four ways Michigan providers can prepare to serve aging veterans

MI Provided serving a veteran

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the need for aging veterans’ healthcare. The situation has become more serious as many aging veterans have put off getting medical and mental health treatment because of the pandemic. A recent assessment was conducted to determine the number of health and mental healthcare specialists in Michigan who are qualified to offer the veterans of the state high-quality, competent care.

In a Lansing State Journal op-ed, CHRT Research and Evaluation Director Melissa Riba, and VA Ann Arbor health physician Dr. Megan Adams, share findings from a recent analysis of the readiness and capacity of Michigan’s primary and specialty care providers to serve and provide high-quality care to, the state’s aging veterans.

Based on the assessment, Riba and Adams also offer four recommendations for Michigan health and mental health care providers, payers, and systems–recommendations that may be of interest to other states–that wish to improve community-based health care for aging veterans:

Screen all patients for veteran status,
Learn about the specific health needs of veterans,
Explore veteran and military culture, and
A better understanding of the resources and services covered and offered by the Veterans Health Administration.

By following these recommendations, healthcare organizations and systems can contribute to aging veterans’ quality of life improvements and give them the care and assistance they require to age with respect and dignity.

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Cadillac News shares CHRT’s marketplace insurance rate analysis findings with residents of Wexford, Missaukee, Lake, and Osceola counties

Insurance Enrollment Insurance premiums have dropped in Wexford, Missaukee, Lake, and Osceola counties write Karen Hopper Usher for the Cadillac News. Hopper Usher shares findings from CHRT’s 2021 Michigan Marketplace insurance rate analysis to urge readers to apply for coverage during the six-week open enrollment window.

“Residents may find that coverage is much less expensive than they think,” writes Hopper Usher, citing CHRT’s analysis. “In 2020, 54,000 Michiganders were eligible for a federal tax credit that covered the full cost of their monthly Bronze-level plan premiums, reducing their out-of-pocket costs on health care by roughly 60 percent.”

Hopper Usher writes that “in 2021, the cost for a bronze-level plan has dropped 27.5% in both Lake and Osceola counties, where the average anticipated insurance rate is $249 a month. In Missaukee and Wexford Counties, the premiums have dropped 7.4%, for an average of $297 a month.”

The article emphasizes that the marketplace exchange is especially important now after as many as 840,000 may be uninsured after losing their jobs during the pandemic and the cost of care for COVID if hospitalized may be very expensive.

Enrollment for marketplace health insurance plans closes on December 15th at midnight.

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The Morning Sun shares CHRT’s Marketplace insurance rates analysis with Clare, Gratiot, and Isabella County readers

Image of a notebook with text "Open Enrollment" In a December Morning Sun article, author Greg Nelson discusses the Center for Health and Research Transformation’s analysis of the Michigan ACA Marketplace insurance rates for 2021. “The deadline to purchase insurance coverage through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace is midnight Tuesday, Dec. 15,”’ Nelson reminds readers.

The article outlines rate changes–mostly reductions–for Clare, Gratiot, and Isabella County residents seeking lowest-cost Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans on the Michigan ACA Marketplace. Nine insurance companies offer plans on the marketplace and residents will have multiple plans to choose from, wrote Nelson.

In June, roughly “7.7 million Americans had lost jobs with employer-sponsored health insurance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic” and specifically, “CHRT estimated that Michigan experienced a 46 percent increase in the number of uninsured adults between February and May alone.” These grave statistics highlight the importance of the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace for many Michiganders.

“2021 ACA Health Insurance Marketplace plan options are robust for communities across Michigan,” writes CHRT in the analysis cited in the story. “In many counties, rates have declined considerably. These 2021 Marketplace changes are favorable for consumers overall. However, rates have increased in other counties and regions. Consumers should review their options and make a plan selection by December 15, when the annual open enrollment period ends.”

Nelson also directs readers to healthcare.gov and healthcare.gov/lower-costs to check if they qualify for savings.

Those who need assistance with enrollment can contact their local Department of Health and Human Services office. In Isabella County, call 989-772-8400; in Clare County, call 989-539-4260; and in Gratiot County, call 989-875-5181.

Consumers already enrolled in a 2020 Marketplace plan should explore plan options and select a 2021 plan before being automatically reenrolled on December 16. Last year’s lowest-cost plans may not be the lowest-cost plans in the coming year.

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Marianne Udow-Phillips writes about the importance of maintaining access to clean water during the COVID-19 pandemic

Handwashing Image In a November Bridge Michigan opinion article, To protect all Michiganders, maintain access to clean water, Marianne Udow-Phillips writes about the relationship between access to clean water and health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“On March 28, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an emergency order requiring the reconnection of service to residents who had their water shut off. The Governor then extended this order in July to stop water shut offs through the end of this year,” writes Udow-Phillips. But in October, when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that these emergency orders were unconstitutional, the decision to continue to water service restoration during the COVID-19 pandemic was left up to the Legislature.

One preventative measure taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is frequent hand washing. Without access to water, the ability to engage in this behavior quickly diminishes says Udow-Phillips. “For those who cannot afford their water bills, shutoffs not only endanger their lives, but the lives of others they come in contact with.”

Michigan Senator Stephanie Chang recently introduced Senate Bill 241 which would “maintain Gov. Whitmer’s water restoration order and make sure Michiganders’ water is not shut off while we battle COVID-19.”

Water protection has yet to be restored by the Legislature and, says Udow-Phillips, “families are again at risk of losing access to water solely because they cannot afford their water bills.” Sen. Chang’s bill could provide relief to these families until there is a widely accessible vaccine, she continues.

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