LANSING – The percentage of Michiganders without health insurance fell in 2013 from 11.4 percent to 11 percent, according to census data released Tuesday.
According to the data, circulated by the Michigan League for Public Policy, 1,072,000 residents did not have health insurance in 2013. But the league said that number will fall much substantially when the 2014 data comes out in 2015 thanks to Medicaid expansion taking effect April, as well as thousands purchasing plans through the federal health exchange. That latter number, however, might be balanced out as a result of some people having to purchase new plans as a result of their previous ones being cancelled for not meeting ACA minimum standards.
As of September 15, almost 386,000 people had enrolled in Medicaid as a result of Medicaid expansion.
“We will see real progress in the years ahead, thanks to Governor Snyder and the state lawmakers who supported the Healthy Michigan Plan so more in Michigan can get affordable health care,” said Gilda Jacobs, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy in a statement. “This is good not only for the people getting the coverage they need, it’s also good for our state’s businesses, communities, and economy.”
As for what could have caused the increase in the percentage of those insured in 2013, Jan Hudson, senior policy analyst at the Michigan League for Public Policy and chair of the Medical Care Advisory Council, the state Medicaid advisory committee, said it has to be the cumulative effect of the changes from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. She cited provisions such as allowing parents to cover their children until they reach age 26, prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions or canceling policies when the insured got sick and ending annual limits.”
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