Michigan Budget Includes Significant Investments to Improve Health Care Worker Wages, Family Health – State of Reform

The Michigan Legislature recently passed the states Budget 2023-2024which designates hundreds of millions of dollars to improve public health.

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The $82 billion budget is the greater in state history and is expected to be signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Michigan Association of Local Public Health executive director Norm Hess said in a declaration that the budget will be good news for public health departments across the state.

For the first time in 30 years, this budget covers the state-mandated quota for essential local public health services, Hess said. We are grateful to the Governor and our legislators for taking the time to understand our work and our value to communities across the state and for providing us with these critical resources to keep residents safe and healthy.

This marked the first time the state budget had been approved both legislative branches under democratic control in 40 years. Senator John Damoose (R – Harbor Springs) said in a declaration that the process for Democrats and Republicans to reach an agreement on the budget has been challenging.

The budget process is long and arduous, Damoose said. But after long hours of negotiating and advocating on behalf of residents across my state, my colleagues and I were able to agree on a bipartisan budget that focuses on state obligations and priorities while also focusing on the needs of families in the state. Michigan.

Damoose

The budget includes significant investments aimed at improving the health of Michigan families and supporting the health workforce, including:

• $156.8 Million to Increase Reimbursement Rates for Medicaid Services to Improve Enrollee Access to Health Care
• $140 Million to Increase Salaries of Direct Care Workers and Other Personnel Who Assist Residents with Disabilities and Elderly People in Need of Home Services and Home Care
• $56 Million to Fund Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies to Support Pregnant Women, New Mothers and Babies
• $49.5 million to implement recommendations from the Task Force on Racial Disparities, including neighborhood health grants, mobile health units, and sickle cell disease support
• A $25 million increase to support local health departments to deliver essential services
• $10 Million to Create a New Foster Care Program to Provide Temporary and Occasional Relief for Adoptive Parents
• $6.2 million to fund Medicaid Plan first program, expanding access to family planning services and cancer screening, aiming to save 25,000 Michigan residents an average of $2,000
• $4.9 million over two years for the Double the money for food plan

Fair Food Network CEO Kate Krauss said in a statement that Double Up Food Bucks helps families use the benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables.

We are grateful for this level of support that helps us continue to bring this essential community resource to Michigan, enabling families to bring home healthier food, putting more dollars in the pockets of local farmers, and stimulating local economies. The process to stabilize funding for Double Up Food Bucks began with Whitmers’ executive budget recommendation in early February, and we are pleased to see the state’s continued commitment to the program in the budget.

Krauss

The budget also includes investments in affordable housing initiatives, including:

• $212 Million for Residential Energy Efficiency Improvements Through Federal Funds, Which Reduce Costs for Michiganders with Point-of-Sale Discounts for Appliances and Water Heaters
• $50 million for the Housing and Community Development Program to alleviate affordable housing needs across the state and revitalize downtown areas
• $10 million for the Average accommodation schedule missing