March 31, 2010
March 31, 2010
Health insurance reform council to help reduce costs for citizens, businesses
LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today established a Health Insurance Reform Coordinating Council within state government to identify steps that must be taken to ensure that Michigan citizens reap the full benefits outlined in the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act signed into law by President Obama last week. The council will be chaired by Michigan Department of Community Health (DCH) Director Janet Olszewski.
The governor's executive order creates an Office of Health Insurance Consumer Assistance within the Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) and an ombudsman to help provide consumers with information regarding health care insurance, assist with the filing of complaints, and to ensure compliance with laws and regulations relating to health care insurance.
"Health care reform is designed to give Michigan families and businesses more control over their own health care, provide them with the security and stability that come with health care coverage, and reduce overall health care costs," Granholm said. "After waging a long and hard fight for this historic legislation, we want to ensure that we are doing everything we can to help citizens benefit under the new law."
As outlined in Executive Order 2010-4, the Health Insurance Reform Coordinating Council will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the law and identify steps that the state must take to further enhance access to health care, reduce costs and improve the quality of health care in Michigan. The council also will develop a coordinated and efficient response to implementation of the act and engage relevant stakeholders in the process.
In addition to the DCH director and OFIR commissioner, the council will be comprised of the directors of the DCH Medical Services Administration; the Department of Human Services; the Department of Technology, Management and Budget; and the Office of the State Employer, plus the state budget director and state personnel director.
"We want to ensure that Michigan residents and businesses will benefit from this new federal law through enhanced access to quality and affordable health care, critical insurance market reforms, and reductions in the cost of health care for Michigan families and job providers," Granholm said. "This legislation reinforces the state of Michigan's longstanding commitment to improving the health of state residents by increasing citizen access to health care, reducing costs and improving the quality of health care."
As a first step in helping citizens gain access to information on the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act and how it affects them, the state of Michigan has established a Web site at: www.michigan.gov/healthcarereform
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