Thread by @a2gpratt

I was unable to attend the listening tour event last night.

Did anyone mention that our GOP friends running the state legislature have a bill that would end the public administration of our county mental health systems? #mentalhealth #michigan 1/8 wemu.org/post/mental-he…

“But the Michigan Association of Counties and groups that advocate for people with mental health and disabilities argued Tuesday that shifting the state’s largely public mental-health system to private insurers builds profits for health insurers 2/8

while stripping the $3.6 billion system of public accountability.” ——- From Bridge article by Robin Erb linked to below in first comment** 3/8

We have enough trouble already with the different ways some counties like Wayne for example who have a centralized intake and crisis line system that is publicly administered, while contracting outpatient mental health services to private nonprofit 4/8

and for profit orgs with varying degrees of engagement with patients experiencing chronic and intermittent serious mental illness.
Washtenaw is much better but there are still gaps in care due to exceedingly high case loads and low pay for workers. 5/8

Will you be advocating to Governor Gretchen Whitmer that she veto any bill that further privatizes the mental health care system which would all but eliminate most of the public accountability that comes with our current county administered system? 6/8

Thanks for your efforts to bring this conversation to us.
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** “two-bill package — senate bills 597 and 598 — that would shift the managed-care layer of the public mental health system — the state’s 10 regional mental-health and substance abuse plans for Medicaid patients — 7/8

to commercial health insurers. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake and chair of the committee, and fellow Republican Dr. John Bizon of Battle Creek introduced the two-bill package.” R Erb from Bridge article linked to below. 8/8
bridgemi.com/michigan-healt…

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