Senate Bill 459: Alternative to federal health care law Medicaid expansion (and more)
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on July 31, 2013, to revise state insurance regulations to facilitate “direct primary care” arrangements, potentially as an alternative to mandated conventional insurance under the federal health care law. The bill would also authorize the use of private health insurance “exchanges” as an alternative to the government version of these entities, which are the vehicle by which the federal law administers and distributes insurance subsidies to individuals. (Note: The Federal government has reportedly agreed to use the private “eHealthInsurance.com” company to perform this role by giving it access to the federal exchange data hub.)
“Direct primary care” is a “new-old” health care delivery model that uses contracts between individuals and a physician in which routine and preventative health care services are delivered for a low monthly fee payment. This reportedly saves money because it eliminates the costly administration of reimbursements from conventional third-party insurance companies.
Senate Bill 460 would convert the Medicaid health welfare program into a system that combines direct primary care services, a high-deductible insurance plan, and “gap” insurance or “deductible support” subsidies to cover the high deductibles for low income persons. Both bills were reported from committee at the same time as a Senate version of House Bill 4714 authorizing the expansion, so they can be available for consideration by the full Senate instead of the expansion.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160584
Senate Bill 460: Alternative to federal health care law Medicaid expansion
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on July 31, 2013, to convert the Medicaid health welfare program into a system that combines a “direct primary care services” model (see Senate Bill 459), a high-deductible insurance plan, and “gap” insurance or “deductible support” subsidies to cover the high deductibles for low income persons.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160586
House Bill 4714: Accept federal health care law Medicaid expansion
Reported in the Senate on July 31, 2013, the Senate “work group” version of the bill. This would require the federal government to approve a program of health savings accounts, modest cost-sharing, and “healthy behavior incentives” for Medicaid recipients before the expansion could proceed. (State Medicaid officials testified in committee this “waiver” would probably be granted before the expansion’s Jan. 1, 2014 starting date.) Recipients would be enrolled in HMO-like managed care plans provided by hospitals that are granted state contracts for this.
The bill would also require the state to request federal permission to limit individuals covered by the expansion to 48 months on the program, and would supposedly terminate the benefits of some 400,000 individuals expected to be enrolled, and around $3 billion worth of federally-funded managed care contracts with hospitals, if permission was not granted by 2016.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159308
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Senate Bill 450: Give certain government employees property tax break
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D) on July 31, 2013, to grant a state income tax credit to teachers and public safety personnel who buy and move into a home in a run-down area that has been repossessed by the federal Housing and Urban Development agency and sold at a steep discount. Under a federal “Good Neighbor Next Door Program,” such purchase discounts are available only to these government employees. The bill would allow these buyers to cut their state income tax liability by the amount they owe each year in property tax. If the property tax amount is higher than their income tax liability the difference could not be “refunded,” however.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160591
Senate Bill 451: Authorize state child care subsidies and tax breaks
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D) on July 31, 2013, to authorize a “refundable” state income tax credit (essentially a cash subsidy in many cases) that would be a percentage of a federal income tax child care credit the individual can claim, with the percentage “means tested” on the basis of gross income (ranging from 110 percent for households with less than $25,000 income to 20 percent for those between $65,000 and $100,000).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160592
Senate Bill 452: Give in-state vendors “second chance” on state contracts
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D) on July 31, 2013, to establish that if a Michigan company is out-bid by an out-of-state company on a state contract, the state must give it 30 days to match or beat the lower bid.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160593
Senate Bill 453: Give in-state vendors “second chance” on state contracts
Introduced by Sen. Morris Hood, III (D) on July 31, 2013, to establish that if a Michigan company is out-bid by an out-of-state company on a state contract, the state must give it 30 days to match or beat the lower bid.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160594
Senate Bill 454: Ban sex offender’s participation in Halloween, birthday parties, etc.
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on July 31, 2013, to prohibit convicted sex offenders whose crime involved a minor from participating in Halloween costumes and “trick or treats,” children’s birthday parties, and similar non-holiday activities involving minors.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160595
Senate Bill 455: Mandate mental health insurance “parity”
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on July 31, 2013, to impose a new coverage mandate that would require health insurance companies to include in all their policies coverage for mental health treatment, and prohibit requiring a higher deductible or co-pay, or providing a lower benefit level, than those that apply to coverage for physical ailments.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160596
Senate Bill 456: Mandate mental health insurance “parity”
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on July 31, 2013, to impose a new coverage mandate that would require Blue Cross Blue Shield to include in all their health insurance policies coverage for mental health treatment, and prohibit requiring a higher deductible or co-pay, or providing a lower benefit level, than those that apply to coverage for physical ailments.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160597
Senate Bill 457: Authorize “second parent adoption”
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on July 31, 2013, to provide for “second parent adoption” in Michigan law. This is a legal procedure that allows a same-sex parent to adopt his or her partner’s biological or adoptive child without terminating the first parent’s legal status as a parent.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160598
Senate Bill 458: Give tax break to new oil refinery
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on July 31, 2013, to grant a 10 year property tax exemption to the owners of a new oil refinery that is built in Michigan.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160599
Senate Bill 461: Impose term limits on charter school boards
Introduced by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D) on July 31, 2013, to impose five-year “term limits” on charter school board members (but not on members of conventional school boards), after which they would be prohibited from being on the board again for 10 years. The bill also would require at least two parents be on the charter board, impose attendance requirements, require there be at least seven members on the board, and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160600