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 Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
Friday Notes
Friday Notes is intended to share current information, resources and notices.
If you have information or announcements that you would like to have included in an upcoming issue, please forward them to MCMCH.
August 12, 2011
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Claims Tax Clears House Appropriations Committee
This week the House Appropriations Committee reported out SB 348, which would establish the new Health Insurance Claims Assessment (HICA) as part of Governor Snyder's tax overhaul plan. SB 348 establishes a 1 percent tax on health insurance claims, replacing the current 6 percent use tax on Medicaid HMOs. The new HICA would take effect January 1, 2012, with the use tax phased out on March 31, 2012. HICA is intended to provide $400 million in revenue for Michigan's federal matching fund contribution for Medicaid.
The House substitute adopted and reported out contains several difference from the version the Senate passed in June. Notably, the House version would impose a hard cap of $400 million in total revenue that would be indexed annually by the medical inflation rate. In years where collected revenue totaled more than $400 million, each carrier or third-party administrator that paid the HICA would receive a proportional credit against their assessment for the next year. The House substitute also prohibits any assessment exceeding $10,000 per insured individual, meaning there is an individual cap of $1 million per insured subscriber. The individual cap is still under debate and may be lowered. In addition, the House removed funding mechanisms for Graduate Medical Education (GME) and other department programs that were included in the Senate version.
SB 348 and its companion bill SB 347 were reported out by wide margins with bipartisan support. House Speaker Jase Bolger has previously stated he expects HICA to be considered on the House floor sometime in September. Senate Appropriations Chair Roger Kahn has also remarked publicly that he expects differences between the chambers to be worked out in conference committee later this year.
Thank you to all MCMCH members who contacted members of the House Appropriations Committee. We'll keep you updated when this important legislation moves for a floor vote in the House.
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Nearly $4 Million Awarded to 12 School-Based Health Centers in Michigan
Last month Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced awards of nearly $4 million in competitive federal grants to school-based health centers (SBHCs) in Michigan.
These Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants will improve access to basic primary health care for school-aged children, many of whom have no other sources of care. The School-Based Health Centers Capital (SBHCC) Program (HRSA-11-127) is the first-ever source of federal funding to uniquely support school-based health centers.
The SBHCC program awards funds made available under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(section 4101(a)) to support expanded capacity of SBHCs and increase the availability, efficiency, and
quality of care for children and adolescents. The funds are available for construction, renovation, and
equipment needs.
The funded projects include:
· Family Health Center Inc. in Kalamazoo for $312,188;
· Kalkaska County Hospital Authority in Kalkaska for $500,000;
· Baldwin Family Health Care Inc. in Baldwin for $477,500;
· Cherry Street Services in Grand Rapids for $374,038;
· Chippewa County Health Department in Sault Sainte Marie for $500,000;
· Ingham County Health Department in Lansing for $499,599;
· Detroit Community Health Connection in Detroit for $62,000;
· Henry Ford Health System in Detroit for $469,627;
· Mid-Michigan Health Services in Houghton Lake for $337,224;
· Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency in Charlevoix for $141,853;
· Oakwood Healthcare System Foundation in Dearborn for $260,623; and,
· Young Adults Health Center Inc. in Ypsilanti for $62,784.
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Report Analyzes U.S. Maternity Practices Related to Breastfeeding
A CDC report concludes most U.S. hospitals have policies and practices that do not conform to international recommendations for best practices in maternity care and interfere with mothers' abilities to breastfeed. Vital Signs: Hospital Practices to Support Breastfeeding -- United States, 2007 and 2009 uses data from the national Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) census survey to describe maternity care practices in the United States. The report, published in the August 2, 2011, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, examines practices in 2,690 hospitals and free-standing birth centers in all states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories. Contents include data and analysis for 10 indicators consistent with the World Health Organization-United Nation's Children's Fund's Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding: existence of a model breastfeeding policy, staff competency assessment, prenatal breastfeeding education, early initiation of breastfeeding, teaching breastfeeding techniques, limited supplementation of breastfeeding infants, rooming-in, teaching feeding cues, limited use of pacifiers, and post-discharge support. In 2009, staff members at most hospitals provide prenatal breastfeeding education (93%) and teach mothers breastfeeding techniques (89%) and feeding cues (82%). However, few hospitals have model breastfeeding policies (14%), limit breastfeeding supplement use (22%), or support mothers postdischarge (27%). From 2007 to 2009, the percentage of hospitals with recommended practices covering at least nine of 10 indicators increased only slightly, from 2.4% to 3.5%. Recommended maternity care practices vary by region and facility size. The report is available here. __________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Contributors to this Issue
AHIP HI-Wire
HealthDay
Wiener Associates
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Quick Links . . .
MDCH Holding Public Forums on 'Dual Eligibles'--New Dates Added for Lansing, Detroit
MDCH is conducting public forums to provide all interested individuals, including consumers and their advocates, an opportunity to learn about and offer input into the state's plans for integrating care for beneficiaries enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. In addition to hearing a presentation from Michigan's Medicaid agency, forum participants will be asked to describe what they like about the current system as well as issues that exist. They will also offer feedback regarding the state's proposed approach for integrating care. Learn more and register here.
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Factors Before Birth Can Determine Child's Risk of Allergies: Study Key factors that affect a child's risk of developing allergies by age 2 include race, a mother's exposure to pets during pregnancy and the method of delivery, a new study suggests. Researchers at MCMCH member Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit followed 1,187 newborns and measured levels of the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE) in blood samples collected from the babies at birth, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. The study was published online this week in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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Household Mold During Infancy May Trigger Asthma Exposure to household mold in infancy greatly increases a child's risk of developing asthma, a new study says. Overall, about 9 percent of school-aged children in the United States develop asthma, but research has shown that rates are higher among children in poor, urban families.
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ADHD, Autism May Sometimes Share Gene Mutations
Some of the genetic variants implicated in ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) overlap with genes and nerve communication pathways that play a role in autism, a new study finds.
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Kids' packed lunches too warm to be safe: study
A Texas study tested more than 700 preschoolers' lunch bags and found less than two percent of the meats, vegetables and dairy products were in the safe temperature zone.
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The Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health is made up of
member organizations who share a commitment to the health of
Michigan's women, children and families.
To learn more go to http://www.mcmch.org or email info@mcmch.org.
Amy Zaagman - Executive Director - azaagman@mcmch.org
Jennifer Gorchow - Communications Manager - jgorchow@mcmch.org
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