Marianne Udow-Phillips

The Legislature should pass Senate Bill 241 now to protect the public’s health.

The health insurance market in Michigan is surprisingly robust, say experts from the Center for Health Research and Transformation.

Most adult Medicaid recipients already work, are in school or face real obstacles to jobs. And without investing in childcare or other support, many low-income parents would face a bind.

In America, we’ve never really answered the core issue about who should pay for health care and why. Is healthcare a product driven by markets? Or a social good for the benefit of all?

Obamacare is an imperfect system, but key indicators show it’s improving care for many Michiganders. Is the ACHA what we want to replace it with?

Rising premiums, underinsurance and departing providers are certainly problems, but problems that are worth fixing within the existing structure of the ACA

Prescriptions for these powerful drugs are a godsend to those suffering chronic pain. Their interests must be balanced with others’ as we seek to reduce fatal overdoses

Getting insurance is only part of the battle. If patients can’t afford their deductibles and co-pays, they can find themselves underinsured, with attendant problems.

Compared to two of our Midwestern neighbors, we’re paying less for health care here, probably because of policy and our insurance landscape.

More people are insured. Access is broader. New programs are being tested. And if a Supreme Court challenge is successful, hundreds of thousands could lose their health insurance.

Obamacare is already changing the healthcare landscape in Michigan. Major efforts are underway to make the system more effective and efficient, though we don’t yet know if they will work.

Michigan is one of the fattest states in the nation. If we are truly going to tackle obesity and reduce related human suffering and healthcare costs, shouldn’t we focus on things we know work (intensive behavioral therapy and bariatric surgery) and make them widely available to the people who need help most?