It is expected that Gov. Rick Snyder will support the state’s Healthy Michigan Plan on Thursday in a U.S. Senate committee discussion. The roundtable in Washington D.C. will be discussing the future of Medicaid in the country.
Healthy Michigan, the state’s brand of Medicaid for low-income residents, is funded through the Affordable Care Act. Recently, the Republican-majority Congress, fueled by President-elect Trump, have taken steps to repeal the ACA.
In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Snyder expressed his support for Healthy Michigan, stressing the program is a crucial part of Michigan’s health care plan and a good example for the nation.
“The important thing is we need to let them know that Healthy Michigan is a model that can work for the rest of the country,” Snyder said in his speech. “We should be speaking out, and I look forward to working with my federal partners to talk about the value of this program and how it can even be enhanced.”
The meeting was organized by Republicans on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee after a letter from the Republican Governors Association requested more input in health care discussions. Though Snyder did not publicly endorse Trump during the election, reports expect him to stay in town for the inauguration on Friday.
Healthy Michigan has enrolled about 640,000 Michigan residents and has decreased hospital costs for uncompensated care by 40 percent from 2013 to 2015, Snyder said. Snyder also underscored his high hopes for the Senate meeting and the results he expects afterward.
“I look forward to working with my federal partners to talk about the value of this program, how it may even be enhanced as we go through these difficult and challenging questions,” Snyder said.