Updates About Public Health

Michigan is on track to see its third straight year of falling opioid overdose fatalities, with state figures showing a 34% drop from 2023 to 2024. Health officials attribute the trend to a combination of targeted public health efforts, expanded access to naloxone, and increased investments in prevention and treatment. A key player in this effort is $1.6 billion in opioid settlement funds received from major pharmaceutical retailers. Since receiving the funding, the state has supplied over a million naloxone kits and invested in community-based response programs. Since distributing the naloxone kits, more than 34,000 have been used in overdose reversals. Some of the funds are also being directed toward the early identification of harmful substances in the drug supply, preventing overdoses altogether.

While Michigan now ranks among the top five states for reducing overdose deaths, health advocates caution that the fight is far from over. Nonfatal overdoses continue to be alarmingly high, and long-term progress will depend on continued investment in treatment access, education, and stigma reduction.

Michigan parents, health providers, and advocates came together at the Capitol last week urging legislators to safeguard Medicaid in the face of proposed federal funding cuts. During a Senate Health Policy Committee hearing, members of the Protect MI Care — a coalition of 240+ organizations working to preserve access to health care — shared personal stories illustrating how essential Medicaid has been to their families’ survival and stability. Two mothers from Grand Rapids spoke about how Medicaid coverage made it possible to care for their medically complex children, one born with a serious heart defect necessitating open heart surgery, the other living with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Both emphasized that Medicaid was not a “handout,” but a vital safety net that filled gaps private insurance did not cover. Coalition leaders and health experts warned that the proposed cuts would threaten access to care across Michigan, particularly in vulnerable and rural communities.

Recently, the House Health Policy Committee unanimously voted out two bills aimed at improving how patient information is shared across Michigan’s health care system. HB 4037 and HB 4038 aim to create a centralized Health Data Utility and designate a portion of the Medicaid budget for operating costs. This new system would allow patient data to securely follow individuals through their entire health journey, from the ambulance to the hospital, to the doctor’s office or a rehabilitation facility. The bills also allow access to schools and foster care, decreasing the chances that pertinent medical information is omitted at every step in the patient care process. Patients would also have the autonomy to opt in or out with any Michigan providers.

The approved non-profit Health Data Utility would be the Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN), which already services secure health data in the billions. Sponsored by Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) and Rep. Curt VanderWall (R-Ludington), the legislation now heads to the House floor with broad bipartisan support. While a similar proposal passed the House last session, the Senate was apprehensive about altering patient privacy protections and data security.