Sign-ups for expanded Medicaid program soar over 300,000
More than 300,000 low-income Michiganders have signed up for the state's expanded Medicaid program.
In just eleven weeks, the Healthy Michigan program has almost reached the sign-up goal for its entire first year. State officials say that bodes well for the success of the program.
"We know that if we get more people covered who are previously uninsured and did not have access to any form of health care that we're going to be able to get them into a primary care provider, we're going to reduce the amount of (emergency room) use, and get more people in for preventive care," said Angela Minicuci, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Community Health (DCH).
Minicuci says that means patients, insurers, and the state will all save money.
Healthy Michigan is expected to eventually cover almost half-a-million people with incomes under 133 percent of the federal poverty line.
The Republican-led state Legislature approved expanding the state's Medicaid program through the federal Affordable Care Act last year.