Michigan Health Insurance
Michigan’s health status
After dropping four spots in 2007 in America’s Health Rankings, Michigan has regained them and is again ranked this year as the 27th healthiest state in the country, the same position it had in 2006. The decrease in prevalence of smoking (down 1.3% in one year), and the decrease of children in poverty have helped the state this past year tremendously. The percentage of infectious disease cases among the population is also down and is now 12.3 cases per 100,000 population, and the rate of both cancer-related and cardiovascular-related deaths have lowered slightly, which is great news for this state.
There are still things to be worked at in Michigan. Despite lowering slightly this past year, Michigan has the dubious honor of having one of the worst violent crime rates in the nation, with 536 offenses per 100,000 population. Percentages of prevalence of smoking and obesity also have lowered slightly, but are still very high, at 21.1% and 28.2% respectively. The percentage of prevalence of binge drinkers has increased almost 1% from last year, and is now in the bottom 10 states in the country. The percentage of adequate prenatal care has also lowered, and is now in its lowest percentage in the past five years, at 77.9%. Cardiovascular-related and cancer-related deaths also need to be lowered more, because with 327 and 199 deaths per 100,000 population respectively, the state has some of the worst numbers in the nation.
One of the most noticeable changes from last year, is the reducing of public health funding in the state, which leads Michigan now to the bottom 10 states, with one of the worst public health funding in the country. This could be a weighing factor in the increase of the percentage of people that lack Health Insurance in the state (though still low at 11%, Michigan is no longer in the top ten of the country). Nevertheless, promising signs are still here, like the geographical disparity percentage (at only 8.8%, it’s still very low), and the increase in the percentage of complete immunizations and primary care physicians per 100,000 population.
Michigan has made progress from last year when it comes to health. They need to continue working on lowering the violent crime rate and the prevalence of binge drinking. If they manage to continue working on improving their key issues, Michigan can be a better state, when it comes to health. Public health funding might be an issue to look for in the future, if it continues to get reduced. Overall, Michigan is getting better, and with a few improvements, it can be a healthier place to live.
Michigan health insurance
In Michigan, 89% of the citizens in Michigan have Health Insurance. Despite the poor government funding, this percentage is very good, which means Michigan has worked hard towards offering an accessible health plan to its citizens, as only about 11% of the population in Michigan has no Health Insurance. The percentage of employers offering health insurance to employees is average, with 59% percent of employers offering health Insurance plans, though this percentage has been going down since 2003. About 80.4% of workers take the Health Insurance plans offered by their employers.
Despite the low public health funding in Michigan, the state has an okay rate of primary care physicians for the population, with 112.9 physicians per 100,000 population. One of Michigan’s key assets, is the great access to health in this state, and this shows with an good percentage of population that could get medical care when needed (87.7%). The patients served by FQHCs as a percent of population under 200% FPL stands at 15%.
If coverage has been denied for you, there are still some options you can check:
Best health plans in Michigan
The prestigious US News ranks yearly the best Health Plans in the country, polling and evaluating consumer assessment, prevention, and treatment offered by all plans. They gather information and rank the results, nation-wide and state-wide, showing on their results the best plans available for Michigan as well. The Rankings reflect results of consumer surveys and success in preventing and treating illness compared with average health plan.
Not only they rank Commercial Plans, they also rank Medicare or Medicaid plans, covering and evaluating as many plans as possible. If you want to browse their list of best-of, please go to the US News Health Plans Search site.
Get involved
If you are concerned about Michigan’s health care issues and want to speak out, your safest bet is to contact your federal official, either via phone or fax. Postal Mail is not recommended, since it takes too long, and e-mail might not be seen. Also, make sure you communicate with the right Member of the Senate and/or Congress.
If you want more guidance and tips on how to contact and communicate with your representatives, there are various sites on the internet that can help on how to contact your elected officials.
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Contact the White HousePHONE: toll free 1-800-671-7887 (ask for the Comment Line) FAX: 1 202-456-2461 State officials:
Official Michigan health insurance information
| Recent Michigan health insurance newsHealth Insurance is always a hot topic for discussion, since it involves the citizens of Michigan and their welfare. Here are some of the latest news and updates on the current issues and news related to Health and Health Insurance for Michigan: |
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