Michigan Healthcare

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hand down a ruling that may decide whether thousands of Michiganders can afford health insurance.

The court could strike down insurance subsidies offered under the federal health care law. That’s in states like Michigan where the federal government runs the health care exchange.

The ruling is expected this summer. But some state lawmakers are already debating whether to set up a state-run health exchange.

A pair of nonprofits say not enough people have taken advantage of their offer to help pay health insurance premiums.

“We’ve been able to find, I think, about a dozen people who we’re helping,” says Bruce Miller, the executive director of two nonprofits who together serve 18 northern Michigan counties.

Miller says the coverage is for people who have employer-sponsored healthcare, but who can’t afford to add their families to the plan. They also don’t qualify for subsidized plans under Obamacare. He calls it the “family glitch.”

Veterans in northern Michigan rarely face long wait times for health care. That’s according to a new report that compares wait times at veterans’ health facilities across the country.

Nationally, nearly three percent of veterans have to wait longer than 30 days for a medical appointment. But at clinics in Gaylord and Traverse City, that percentage is almost down to zero.

Fewer parents in northern Michigan are opting out of vaccinations for their children. Health officials say the trend is positive but there is still more work to do.

In Leelanau County, just over 12 percent of parents requested a vaccine waiver for their kindergarteners this year. That number is down from nearly 20 percent the year before.

In Grand Traverse County, the rate of vaccine waivers is down from 13 percent to just under 10 percent. County Health Officer Wendy Trute says that’s a step in the right direction.

The state Senate has passed a bill that would allow landlords to ban tenants from smoking or growing medical marijuana in their rental units. Senate Bill 72 passed on a 34-3 vote with bipartisan support.

The legislation required a three-quarters majority vote because it would change Michigan’s voter-approved Medical Marijuana Act.

A new Michigan law for 2015 will force some parents seeking vaccination waivers for their kids to speak to a health professional first. 

The new law took effect Jan. 1st. It targets parents asking for “philosophical” waivers. Michigan has a seven-percent waiver rate – that’s fourth highest in the country.

Jennifer Smith with the Michigan Department of Community Health said the law was adapted from one already making a difference in ten counties.

Criminal charges have been filed in federal court in Massachusetts, following an outbreak of fungal meningitis that hit Michigan in 2012.

Most people charged worked at New England Compounding Center, a shuttered pharmacy in Boston that sold steroid shots that infected people nationwide.

The tainted shots were sent to a few clinics in Michigan, including one in Traverse City.