Updates About Public Health

On September 7, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher ruled that Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban law is unconstitutional. In the ruling, Judge Gleicher found that the current law violates the due process and equal protection clauses in the Michigan Constitution.

Following the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization issued by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year, which returned abortion decisions back to the states, Michigan’s abortion ban has not gone into effect due to multiple injunctions. The 1931 law in Michigan bans abortions except in the case where the mother’s life is in danger.

In the ruling, Gleicher stated that enforcement of the 1931 law would “deprive pregnant women of their right to bodily integrity and autonomy, and the equal protection of the law… Enforcement also threatens pregnant women with irreparable injury because without the availability of abortion services, women will be denied appropriate, safe and constitutionally protected medical care.”

On August 29, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) announced the decision to guarantee access to generic oral birth control prescriptions beginning on September 1.

In May, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued Executive Directive 2022-05 (previously reported on here, which called on departments to identify and assess opportunities to increase protections for reproductive health care. As a result, DTMB decided to add oral contraceptives to the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System (MPSERS) Non-Medicare Master Healthcare plan, which covers approximately 200,000 retired school employees and their families. Members of the Non-Medicare plan will also have access to this coverage. Previously, oral contraceptives were only available under the Medicare plan.

In the press release from the Executive Office of the Governor, it was stated that almost 600 requests for birth control were denied in the state. DTMB will be working with the almost 600 individuals who were denied medication in the past 12 months to notify them of the new coverage.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced the creation of eleven Regional Health Advisory Councils across the state. These Councils are designed to combat health disparities in both rural and underserved communities.

Composed of community organizations, the Regional Health Advisory Councils will serve populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. They will be tasked with reducing COVID disparities in minority populations, planning reduction of community-identified priority risk factors, developing and implementing practices and policies to promote equity and reduce disparities, efficiently and equitably distributing resources to communities, and developing community-driven decision making and priority setting.

They will be funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support grant. The following counties will have an established council: Genesee, Ingham, Kent, Oakland, Ottawa, Macomb, Muskegon, Saginaw, Washtenaw, Wayne, and the City of Detroit.