James McCurtis

Lucille Smith

Dr. Herbert C. Smitherman
The discussion on national healthcare continues to rage across the nation. In Michigan, many individuals in the public sector and local doctors believe there is a viable solution to caring for the under-insured and uninsured.

According to James McCurtis, spokesman for Michigan Department of Community Health, the process has been slow, but the goal has been to cover 550,000 people in Michigan. This program, Michigan First, would cover half of the 1.5 million in Michigan that are uninsured. Trying to obtain these funds from the federal government has been difficult.

“They basically through negotiations, have stalled all talks,” McCurtis said. “What we’re doing right now is still holding on to our plan and waiting for the next election where a new administration will (hopefully) be more willing to listen to the governor’s plan.”

Barring help from the federal government, McCurtis hopes that Michiganders will take an active stance on this issue.

“What we’re asking our citizens to do is to contact their congressperson and tell them how important it is to have this plan in place,” McCurtis said. “There are a lot of people in the state of Michigan that are not covered. Our most vulnerable citizens have a need, and we need the federal government to help us meet that need for the citizens.”

Chris Allen, executive officer, Health Authority, has worked on several initiatives to procure health insurance alternatives, including the 2-1-1 help line to curb pharmaceutical costs.

This World Medical Relief Prescription Assistance Program is part of a collaboration between World Medical Relief, the Detroit Wayne County Health Authority and United Way of Southeastern Michigan’s 2-1-1- helpline.

“Through 2-1-1 we are able to realize a single-entry point to the healthcare system for the uninsured and under-insured, said Chris Allen, executive director of the Detroit Wayne County Health Authority. “Now people of all ages will be able to provide prescription relief for those who need it the most. The demand is great. A lot of people are doing without.”

He added that universal access to quality healthcare is an idea that the Detroit Wayne County Heath Authority supports enthusiastically.

“Until we meet that goal, our challenge is help to enroll all people who qualify for Medicaid health coverage and refer others to appropriate plans and services, then we can have a better understanding of who are the uninsured,” he said. “When we get it right here, with existing resources through community partnerships and openness to new possibilities of providing care, we will design a delivery system that is meaningful and effective.”

Lucille Smith, executive director of Voices of Detroit Initiative (VODI), says that one of the most realistic ways to provide access to healthcare is to expand the number of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC’s), because the federal government does provide grants to primarily care for the uninsured.

“I think that’s the most viable strategy,” she said. “Our main thrust is the uninsured and underserved residents of Detroit and Wayne County, providing medical homes for them and tools for organizing the safety net delivery system.”

The most important thing, she added, is the need for collaboration.

“The consumer, the patient, the community organizations, healthcare systems, primary care providers, all of us have a significant part to play,” Smith said. “Healthcare is probably the second largest industry behind automobiles. Addressing the needs of the African American community is extremely important. There is a significant amount of things we are trying to do with these health disparities.”

Gary Benjamin, Michigan Legal Services, healthcare attorney, is spearheading an effort to get the “constitutional right” to healthcare for Michiganders on the November ballot.

“There’s a lot of different strategies and models to cover everyone. Essentially there’s no excuse,” said Benjamin. “It’s politics and it’s a $60 billion dollar issue in the state. It’s just not fair for people who work hard and play by the rules. Most are in working families and they can’t get health insurance.”

Petitions are already out in many local churches, he noted.

“We need to have it established as a right, and somehow have the Legislature come up with a plan to cover everyone,” Benjamin said. “It has to be real and it has to affordable and cover what we need covered.”

Dr. Herbert C. Smitherman, assistant dean of community and urban health with WSU, and co-author of “Taking Care of the Uninsured,” says higher premiums within the state make Michigan businesses less competitive nationally and globally.

“You’re talking about the fact that we’re spending almost $14 billion a month in fighting a war on Iraq and Afghanistan,” Smitherman said. “If you look at what we spend on the Federally Quality Health Center program, $1.9 billion dollars a year, we clearly have the resources to provide basic coverage and access.”

The biggest hurtle will be prioritizing Michigan’s resources.

“I think we do have the resources. It’s about the will and how we prioritize the resource is the issue. We have the resources to do it,” he said.