Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment Tuesday that would have said there was no right to an abortion in the state, according to The Associated Press.
Kansas was the first state to vote on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson's Women's Health Organization.
President Joe Biden hailed Tuesday's vote and called on Congress to pass a law to restore nationwide abortion rights that were provided by Roe.
"This vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions," Biden said in a statement.
The statewide abortion ban ballot proposal, in a fairly solidly red state, ended up failing by a massive 18 points, with 544,000 voting against it and only 378,00 in favor of it.
Gov. Whitmer Encourages Michiganders to Take Advantage of Savings on New Health Plan Choices During Open Enrollment
November 01, 2022
(LANSING, MICH) Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) Director Anita Fox are reminding Michiganders that the annual Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment period begins today and runs through January 15, 2023. With savings still in effect making health insurance more affordable for more Michiganders, new grants for free local help, and more plan options than last year, shopping for health insurance has never been easier.
(LANSING, MICH) State of Michigan health leaders are advising Michiganders that a Texas federal judge’s decision in Braidwood Management Inc. v. Xavier Becerra does not currently change the preventive care to which they are entitled under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Though the Braidwood ruling does not take immediate effect, and proceedings are ongoing, this case could ultimately have long-term impacts on the ACA and the health of Americans nationwide.
This post was very personal for me because it was inspired by my own family moving from an ACA exchange individual market policy over to the student plan my wife (and therefore our son and myself) qualifies for due to her enrolling at Oakland University here in Michigan, where she's getting her counseling degree.
The plan being offered to all students (including graduate students and their families) was a Gold PPO through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Here's how it compared against the closest equivalent policies available on the ACA exchange at the time, assuming we didn't qualify for any ACA subsidies (remember, this was before the American Rescue Plan beefed up & enhanced the subsidies to those earning more than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level):
(LANSING, MICH) Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) Director Anita Fox is applauding Congress and the Biden Administration for enacting the Inflation Reduction Act which, in part, will extend increased Health Insurance Marketplace premium subsidies for another three years. These subsidies, first expanded by the American Rescue Plan, have enabled 4 out of 5 enrolled Americans to find health insurance for less than $10 per month on HealthCare.gov.
The Michigan Legislature is considering joining the 18 other states that have established state-run health insurance marketplaces through HB 6112. Having an exchange run by the state instead of the federal government, supporters of the bill say, will save Michiganders money by leaving the “rigid and inflexible” federal market for a Michigan-tailored market that can be more responsive and potentially lower premiums. The bill is still in the early days of the legislative process, awaiting a vote from the House Health Policy Committee.
(LANSING, MICH) Gov. Whitmer today announced Michiganders have more plans to choose from, more low- or no-cost coverage options, and more time to enroll during the Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment period, which runs today, November 1 through January 15, 2022.
“Michigan has called for expanded health coverage opportunities throughout the pandemic, and I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for its continued work in lowering costs to high-quality, comprehensive health insurance for Michigan’s working families,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Through increased subsidies, an extended enrollment period, and more investment in local assistance, Michiganders have the support they need to get covered for 2022.”
Not too many changes were made in either market. I get a weighted average increase of 4.6% for individual market plans (MI DIFS puts it at 4.7%), while I get exactly +7.0% for small group plans (MI DIFS puts it at +7.1%).
As I noted in August, the other noteworthy changes are:
