A new report finds, despite improved access to health insurance, a large number of poor Michiganders still fall in and out of coverage.
The University of Michigan’s Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation looked at something called “churning”. Churning is when individuals pass from one health insurer to another, either by changing plans or entering and exiting Medicaid.
Marianne Udow Philips is the center’s director. She says there remains a lot of health insurance instability.
“Particularly people with Medicaid coverage,” says Philips. “They change health plans really quite often. And they often have a period of time when they are uninsured even if they are insured part of the year.”
She says this could be a significant issue for people with chronic conditions, especially if the incoming Trump administration follows through with plans to repeal or replace Obamacare.
