There are some significant changes as open enrollment begins Saturday, offering beneficiaries the chance to review options for 2023 and make adjustments. But it’s still buyer beware.
Michigan Health Watch
In-depth reporting on the intersection between public policy and important health topics ‒ such as insurance coverage, hospital admissions, opioid abuse, access to care, medical research and the business of health care ‒ that impact nearly every Michigan resident.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
With insulin costs rising, Michigan plots early steps to produce its own
Republican Senator Curt VanderWall and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are searching for companies who can manufacture the lifesaving drug in Michigan to lower costs. Two companies are talking back.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan psychiatric centers cut number of beds despite having more money
Michigan has taken scores of in-patient beds offline since April because it can’t hire enough staff to care for patients. State-run facilities treat the most severely ill patients, making the job draining and at times perilous.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan may regulate sale of kratom, an herbal mix linked to overdoses
The herbal supplement lauded by some as a safe pain reliever and pick-me-up has been linked to overdose deaths and other ills.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Three months into monkeypox, a pleasant surprise in Michigan
The spread of monkeypox cases has slowed dramatically in Michigan. Health experts say — tentatively — that a ‘win’ is within reach.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan COVID super-dodgers: Lucky genetics or just plain lucky?
COVID’s tendency to hopscotch through communities — killing some and leaving others unscathed — has baffled scientists and likely left some Michiganders feeling invincible. Researchers search for clues.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan bill intended to shorten ER waits for youth in mental health crisis
In House testimony Thursday, backers argued that the bill, which applies to all patients in crisis, will likely most help children and teens, who sometimes waited in ERs for weeks during the pandemic to get the mental health care they needed.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Sewer poop: it’s not just for COVID testing anymore
Federal funds helped Michigan create wastewater surveillance teams to test human waste and anticipate COVID outbreaks. Researchers are now expanding testing to other diseases, from monkeypox to polio.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Gretchen Whitmer wants more Michigan pharmacists to prescribe birth control
With abortion access threatened, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is taking steps to ensure easier access to reproductive health. That includes making it easier for Michigan pharmacists to directly prescribe birth control.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan COVID booster appointments filling up. How to get yours.
The possibility of a fall COVID surge and concerns about a “nasty” flu season might be fueling an early eagerness among some residents for the omicron-tailored COVID booster, experts said.