LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials are working to maintain protections for consumers amid the Trump Administration’s efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
Oral arguments to overturn the act begin Tuesday in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Trump Administration, plus republican attorneys general in 18 states, want the whole law to be struck down. That could threaten coverage for more than 23 million people.
“Every Michigander deserves access to quality, affordable health care. That’s why I worked across the aisle as Senate Democratic Leader to expand coverage to more than 820,000 Michiganders through Healthy Michigan, and it’s why I will continue working to protect health care for people across the state,” said Whitmer. “As the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in this case, and as health care for one million Michiganders is on the line, leaders from both sides of the aisle must work together to ensure coverage for the people we serve. To the people of Michigan: I will not stop fighting for your health care.”
According to the Office of the Governor, millions of Michiganders benefit from the Affordable Cares Act, including the following:
- More than 820,000 Healthy Michigan Plan beneficiaries who are covered by Michigan’s Medicaid expansion program allowed by the ACA.
- Nearly 300,000 Michiganders who get coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace created by the ACA, 250,000 of them receiving federal tax subsidies to lower monthly health insurance premiums.
- More than 70,000 young adults who are insured through their parents.
- More than 200,000 seniors and people with disabilities who save on prescription drugs through expanded drug coverage.
- More than 6 million insured Michiganders who do not have to pay out-of-pocket for preventive services such as flu shots, vaccines, mammograms, and screenings for heart disease, cancer, depression, diabetes, and more.
- More than 1.7 million Michiganders with pre-existing conditions who can access coverage without fear of insurance company denials.
Whitmer, along with the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recently implemented a $1 million effort to ensure Michiganders understand the health coverage options available to them. Open enrollment started Monday and runs through Dec. 15.
More information about health coverage plans can be found here.
“If this lawsuit is successful, some 20 million Americans, including more than 1 million Michiganders, could lose their health coverage just when they need it the most,” said DIFS Director Anita Fox. “It is crucial that we all pull together to make sure that more, not fewer, Michiganders have health coverage during this critical time.”
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