Insider Intelligence

On Thursday, the Senate passed a package of bills repealing the Michigan Health Insurance Claims Assessment (HICA) tax.  HICA is a tax on health insurance claims paid by both individual policy holders and businesses who offer health care insurance to employees.  The tax was originally enacted to help pay the state’s portion of Medicaid, but […]

On Thursday, through Executive Order, Governor Rick Snyder elevated the Chief Medical Executive to a cabinet-level position.  Additionally, he is creating the Public Health Advisory Commission.  The creation of a commission and a cabinet-level public health position were recommendations of the Flint Water Advisory Task Force. The Office of Chief Medical Executive will serve within […]

This week, Governor Rick Snyder signed an extension of the sunset on the Health Insurance Claims Assessment (HICA).  First enacted in 2011, HICA is a tax paid on health claims and is used to support state match dollars for the Medicaid program.  This is the third extension to the tax.  As first enacted, HICA was […]

This week, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced the five pilot regions for the Blueprint for Health Innovation; Jackson County, Muskegon County, Genesee County, Nothern Region, and the Washtenaw and Livingston Counties area.  The department is continuing to work with partners to determine the final boundaries for the pilot program. Over the next […]

This week, the Senate passed and the House concurred in a bill extending the sunset on the Health Insurance Claims Assessment (HICA) through 2020.  When the House passed their version of HB 5105 in December, it included a sunset extension through 2025.  However, the sole change the Senate made to the bill was to shorten […]

This week, all but one of the members of the Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee were announced.  The committee is comprised of seventeen members and is housed within the Michigan State Police.  It is tasked with making recommendations on the health and welfare of individuals exposed to lead, studying Flint’s water infrastructure and determining potential […]

The Flint Child Health and Development Fund is seeking donations to assist in their response to the ongoing Flint water crisis.  The fund was up by the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and several partners including the United Way of Genesee County, Hurley Children’s Hospital, and the Mott Children’s Health Center.  Donations to the fund […]

On January 22, the Flint Water Advisory Task Force provided their recommendations to Governor Rick Snyder.  First and foremost, they encourage a strong response in dealing with the challenges of re-establishing a reliable water distribution system.  The task force’s other recommendations include; •    Engaging with the Environmental Protection Agency’s experts, empowering them to guide implementation […]