2 out of 3 Michiganders Oppose Senate Bills 597 & 598
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
POLL: 2 out of 3 Michiganders Oppose Senate Bills that would be Detrimental to the 320k+ Michiganders who Utilize Public Mental Health Services
Jackson, MI – A new poll commissioned by the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan and conducted by third-party survey provider EPIC-MRA found 67% of Michigan voters prefer the public mental health system to be managed by public entities who specialize in mental health care vs. turning the system over to private, for-profit companies.
Currently, there are two bills being proposed within Michigan Legislature that would be detrimental to the public mental health system and the 320k+ Michiganders who utilize public mental health services.
Senate Bills 597 & 598, are an attempt to reboot the failed Section 298 effort from a few years ago. This legislation would privatize all Medicaid mental health services by giving full financial control and oversight/decision making to for-profit insurance companies.
These bills are called “Mental Health Integration,” which can be a confusing title. Readers are asked to be aware, the integration being proposed in these bills is FUNDING integration, NOT integration of care. These bills will not increase access to care, will not increase providers or address work force shortages, will not address the lack of inpatient care, and will not guarantee better outcomes for those served.
Senate Bills 597 & 598 will also dramatically increase costs for services without guaranteeing better outcomes for the people served. The health plans who would be gaining control of the funding for public mental health services are the same private companies who pocketed a record of $550 million of profits last year alone.
Additionally, Senate Bills 597 & 598 will completely eliminate local control and decision making for funds. Local money and decisions would be shipped to private out-of-state insurance companies. These decisions would be made in corporate board rooms hundreds of miles from where the services are taking place.
The EPIC-MRA polling shows two out of three Michigan voters would NOT support the changes that Senate Bills 597 & 598 would bring.
The poll was conducted in January 2022 among active and likely voters for the November 2022 general election across Michigan with a margin error of +/-4%. It comes at a critical time as communities across Michigan and the U.S. face a growing need for mental health support in the wake of COVID-19.
Some key data points from the poll include:
Nearly 3 times as many Michiganders oppose the privatization of the state’s mental health services for Medicaid patients (the purpose of Senate Bills 587 & 598). 67% oppose while only 24% support that privatization.
76% of voters are concerned that private, for-profit health plans, do not have a good track record in treating patients with mental health needs and fear they will make matters worse.
73% of voters are concerned that high overhead costs of the private health insurance companies (double that of the public system) and the corporate profits that these companies take out of the taxpayer-funded Medicaid system will lead to less mental health services for those in need.
The data also found factors that make a public mental health care system more cost effective than a private system, including active management of comprehensive services, a person-centered planning approach and high medical loss ratios (low spending on administrative costs to allocate those dollars towards Medicaid beneficiaries).
Nearly 4 times as many Michiganders are less likely to support their legislator if he/she supports privatization of mental health services for Medicaid patients than those more likely to support that legislator: 40% less likely compared with only 11% more likely.
Twice as many Michiganders think that Governor Whitmer should veto legislation if it passes than those who think she should sign the bills: 54% favor veto with only 27% favoring signing.
LifeWays believes healthcare integration happens at the person level, not at the funding level. Within Michigan’s existing community-based behavioral health system, putting people first is a core guiding principle. LifeWays supports the efforts to STOP Senate Bills 597 & 598, slow down, and look at other options for the redesign of the behavioral health system in Michigan.
If you would like to join LifeWays and others across Michigan to support those with mental health challenges and STOP Senate Bills 597 & 598, you can click the link below to learn more about the bills and sign the petition from Community Mental Health Association of Michigan.
###
LifeWays
LifeWays provides mental health support, information, and services to residents of Jackson and Hillsdale counties. LifeWays ensures that all county residents who have a severe mental illness, emotional disturbance, intellectual or developmental disability, or substance use disorder receive the services they need to assist them in recovery. For more information, visit LifeWaysCMH.org. Hope and help begin at LifeWays.
Contact:
Chelsea Oliver, Public Relations Coordinator
Jackson Location
1200 N West Ave
Jackson, MI 49202
Hillsdale Location
25 Care Dr
Hillsdale, MI 49242