From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 4:55 PM
Subject: What the governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about Today
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
 
Governor Issues Executive Order Implementing Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act
 
The governor today established a Health Insurance Reform Coordinating Council within state government to identify steps that must be taken to ensure that Michigan citizens reap the full benefits outlined in the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act signed into law by President Obama last week.  The council will be chaired by Michigan Department of Community Health (DCH) Director Janet Olszewski. 
 
As outlined in Executive Order 2010-4, the council will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the law and identify steps that the state must take to further enhance access to health care, reduce costs and improve the quality of health care in Michigan.  The council also will develop a coordinated and efficient response to implementation of the act and engage relevant stakeholders in the process.  
 
In addition to the DCH director and the commissioner of the Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR), the council will be comprised of the directors of the DCH Medical Services Administration; the Department of Human Services; the Department of Technology, Management and Budget; and the Office of the State Employer, plus the state budget director and state personnel director.
 
The governor’s executive order also creates an Office of Health Insurance Consumer Assistance within OFIR and an ombudsman to help provide consumers with information regarding health care insurance, assist with the filing of complaints, and to ensure compliance with laws and regulations relating to health care insurance.
 
As a first step toward helping citizens gain access to information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act and how it affects them, the state of Michigan has established a Web site at: www.michigan.gov/healthcarereform
 
Key messages:
 
•  Health care reform is designed to give Michigan families and businesses more control over their own health care, provide them with the security and stability that come with health care coverage, and reduce overall health care costs.  After waging a long and hard fight for this historic legislation, we want to ensure that we are doing everything we can to help citizens benefit under the new law.
 
•  We want to make sure that Michigan residents and businesses will benefit from this new federal law through enhanced access to quality and affordable health care, critical insurance market reforms, and reductions in the cost of health care for Michigan families and job providers.
 
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