Two quotes from this article by Judy Packer-Tursman (H/T @jcrosscall) draw attention to the decline in uncompensated care patients less than four months after GOP Governor Rick Snyder’s Michigan-style plan to use federal Medicaid expansion dollars began enrolling people. These are quote from two of the biggest health systems in Michigan:
“We’ve seen large numbers of people previously uninsured who now have coverage.” — Michael Grant, regional director of patient financial services for Mercy Health.
“I think in general our finance folks [are saying] that there is a leveling off or a decline in uncompensated care” — Andy Kruse, Genesys Health System
The story here is the speed at which these declines are being seen. Other states have started to quantify their declines in charity care coverage after a Medicaid expansion but they have usually started their plans to close the Medicaid coverage gap January 1st – several months before Michigan
