Healthcare Programs

Access to affordable healthcare has been a challenge for many factoring in poor and uninsured society. Affordable healthcare for everyone is a social and financial challenge for both the private and the government sector. Conventional healthcare system requires patients to pay for their medical treatment through monthly insurance which is beyond the reach of the poor and the uninsured. The rising cost of healthcare poses to be a socioeconomic challenge.

The Medicaid program makes intervention to counter the ever rising healthcare costs through systematic planning and evaluation. It has made an expansion on the insurance pool for the ones without medical insurance. Provisions for community-based programs were pursued to see improvement access to affordable healthcare. The numbers of low income earners have increased tremendously since the depression of the year 2007; this has seen a stretch in healthcare program. The expansion was taken into consideration, when Medicaid’s income tests and asset tests of the low income earners have been conducted.

The federal government of Michigan has made sure that the healthcare is accessible to all. There is a substantial number of health care programs that are available to children, families and adults, in Michigan. Application of the program may differ basing on the program and applicant's citizenship situation (some non-citizens can have their services limited to the coverage of only emergency services). The Michigan Department of Human Services (MDHS) determines person’s eligibility for certain health care programs which are managed by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH).

Before the introduction of the Medicaid program for the poor and the uninsured, many people were left out to work hard for their healthcare treatment. However, was difficult to come by and mostly inaccessible to the community. For example, “Healthy kid” is a Medicaid health program for low income children under the age of 19 and pregnant women. “Healthy kids” have an income tests but no monthly premiums. Most of the children are enrolled to the “Healthy kid” Medicaid program and enjoy comprehensive package of health benefits among them; visual, dental and mental health.

The Medicaid program in Michigan serves about 13 % of the total population, which translates to about 1.1 million eligible recipients being covered by the program. The eighth highest state totals in the U.S. The program also meets the federal requirement of covering Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC). Aid to Families with Dependent Children is under supplementary security Income; families with medical expenses that depress their income and assets below certain level.

The program intervention has also benefited adults from low income community or segments. However the adults must be subjected to income and asset test to determine their eligibility for the program; this was established as of 1^st May 2006. With beneficiaries receiving a comprehensive package benefits for dental, visuals and mental health, has adversely impacted the health needs of the low income earner. Medicaid is also available to the aged, blind and the disable persons of the community. It is a multifaceted program. The evaluation of the program can be deducing its vibrant transformation on the socioeconomics aspect to the state of Michigan.