John Ayanian discusses the success of Medicaid enlargement in Michigan in Crain's Detroit Business article, “UM report: Planning helped Michigan Medicaid expansion rollout,” and New England Journal of Medicine podcast, "Interview with Dr. John Ayanian on the implementation and lessons of the Healthy Michigan Plan."
Ayanian's report, compiled with a team of researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School and published by the New England Journal of Medicine, observes that approximately 328,000 Michigan citizens signed up for the Healthy Michigan Plan, which offers healthcare assistance to poor and low-income residents, within its first 100 days. “The rapid enrollment demonstrates both the ability of the state to launch the program effectively, and the pent-up demand for insurance among low-income adults in Michigan,” Ayanian says.
Ayanian believes Michigan’s model can serve as a blueprint for other states considering Medicaid expansion. “For other states that more recently decided to expand Medicaid or are still considering this option, our initial analysis demonstrates that with appropriate planning expansion can go smoothly,” says Ayanian.
John Ayanian is director of the University of Michigan's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. He is a professor of public policy at the Ford School, a professor of health management and policy at the School of Public Health, and a professor of internal medicine at the Medical School.
For more information, read the University of Michigan Health System press release by Kara Gavin, "100 days in Michigan: U-M team releases new analysis of state's Medicaid expansion."