LANSING, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, June 15, 2022) – Legislation aimed to increase access for mental health services across Michigan is now law.
Governor Whitmer yesterday signed House Bill 5165 that would require the state Department of Health and Human Services to update policies for determining an individual’s ability to pay for community mental health services by using federal poverty guidelines. It would also utilize a federal sliding fee discount program to make such services more affordable for uninsured and underinsured patients.
According to the bill’s sponsor, third-term Republican Mary Whiteford of the South Haven area, more than 1400 community mental health sites statewide will now be able to take advantage of retention and recruitment programs as a result of this policy change. “Community mental health organizations around the state have expressed to me the importance of hiring and retaining mental health professionals,” the chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services said in a statement issued by her office. “Bureaucratic red tape within our state health department is getting in the way of important programs that help attract health care providers who agree to practice in underserved areas of Michigan. This change to Michigan law will truly help our communities.”
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