Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation releases 'Cover Michigan' Report

By: State: Michigan | Source: AARP.org

Cover Michigan, a report on healthcare coverage released today by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) shows that while Michigan compares well to the country as a whole, the state is losing ground in critical areas, including the number of Michigan's children and adults who are uninsured and the percentage of the population covered by private insurance.

"Cover Michigan shows a state under stress," said CHRT director Marianne Udow-Phillips. "More and more Michigan residents—especially our most vulnerable populations—are facing hardships in obtaining and affording health care. Our health care delivery system is destabilizing as more people are underinsured and uninsured."

"Access to health care coverage that is funded at an appropriate level is a national issue," Udow-Phillips said. "We must advocate for national health policy that will shore up the health care safety net, expand coverage, and strengthen the viability of public programs. It is imperative that health care reform be part of President Obama's economic stimulus package."

Cover Michigan is designed to provide the public and policy makers with access to Michigan's health coverage data in a single place as efforts intensify to tackle healthcare reform.

Cover Michigan comprises data from multiple state and national sources, in three major categories:

1. Health care coverage—including the uninsured, publicly insured and privately insured.
2. Premiums and cost sharing—including premiums, deductibles, and copays.
3. Uncompensated care and the safety net, including hospital uncompensated care and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).

In 2007, Michigan had the 18th lowest percentage of uninsured residents compared to other states, and the percentage of uninsured children in Michigan was especially low—Michigan ranked ninth in the nation on this important measure.

But event in areas where Michigan does well historically, Cover Michigan reveals that coverage deteriorated in 2007. Approximately 11.6 percent of Michigan's total population—1.1 million people—lacked health coverage, up from 10.5 percent in 2006. In 2006, only 4.7 percent of Michigan's children were uninsured, but in 2007, that percentage increased to 6.2 percent. Average family premiums for those with private health insurance increased 68 percent from 2000 to 2006; average family deductibles increased 25 percent since 2002.

For an electronic copy of Cover Michigan, visit the CHRT Web site: www.chrt.org or send an email to chrt-info@umich.edu with "Cover Michigan" in the subject line.