Michigan

Earlier this week University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation released findings from the University of Michigan National Poll on Health Aging. The new report share results gathered in late January 2023 that add to previous data from polls fielded in 2018 and during all three years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report shared that one in three (34%) of older adults reported feeling isolated from others in the past year, a decline from the 2020 report findings.

States are often exploring ways to effectively support direct care workers, who are often times women, people of color, and living at or near the poverty level. This blog post explores four key recommendations for states to strengthen their direct care workforce, with an emphasis on state Medicaid agencies. The post draws from a CHCS report which focused on strategies used in the state of Michigan.

This report offers initial results and findings from COVID-19 CheckUp, a service provided by BellAge, Inc. to help governments capture actionable data regarding the pandemic in near real-time. The service is currently in use by the governments of New York, Florida, Michigan, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. The first issue of the Bulletin focuses on COVID-19 risk related findings from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services CV19 CheckUp launch.

The Aging and Adult Services Agency at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced the launch of CV19 CheckUp in Michigan, a free, anonymous, personalized online tool that evaluates someone’s risks associated with COVID-19. BellAge developed the tool to help people be safer & healthier, and ensure their individual needs are met during the pandemic. CV19 CheckUp uses artificial intelligence to analyze data each person provides by completing an online questionnaire.

COVID-19 has led to immeasurable repercussions in healthcare systems across the nation and world. The one issue common to all professional direct care workers was the limited availability of personal protective equipment. This policy brief focuses on DCW and challenges they faced, and continue to face, in adequately protecting themselves and others from the transmission and infection of this deadly virus.

This report examines how states can help finance LTSS. It analyzes emerging LTSS social insurance strategies in six states: Washington, Hawaii, Maine, California, Michigan, and Minnesota. The report includes information from 42 stakeholder interviews in these states and outlines lessons learned during the policy change process.

Like many states, Michigan is facing a looming workforce shortage as their aging population grows. This policy brief from the Michigan Aging & Adult Services Agency highlights the challenges and opportunities in addressing the state's direct care workforce (DCW) issues. Challenges that have led to this shortage include low wage levels, lack of affordable comprehensive training, and low job appreciation and respect. This paper identifies various strategies for overcoming these issues.

This study used mystery shoppers in six states to asses the accuracy of PACE awareness in counselors supporting LTSS beneficiaries. This 2018 study focuses on a range of information and referral/assistance entities.

This paper examines whether there is evidence that MLTSS programs increase access to home and community-based services (HCBS). One theory states that MLTSS programs may reduce costs associated with the use of institutional services, thereby allowing states to expand HCBS services and reduce waiting lists. This brief uses this theory and examines changes in a state's HCBS waiting list as one way to measure access to HCBS.

This report documents the nationwide housing affordability crisis experienced by people with disabilities. The report discusses how in 2016, millions of adults with disabilities living solely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) found that renting even a modest unit in their community would require nearly all of their monthly income. The report offers policy recommendations to address this crisis.