Michigan Voters Support Medicaid Expansion; Ohio Hospital Association Hires Veteran GOP operative

Michigan Voters Support Medicaid Expansion

A new poll of 600 Michigan voters indicates a strong support for the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Act Act.

According to the survey which was conducted by Lansing-based EPIC-MRA, 60% of those polled supported Medicaid expansion after the eligibility requirements were explained to them, 26% were opposed, and 14% were undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder supports Medicaid expansion, but the GOP-controlled Legislature has yet to pass a bill approving a program to do so.

OHA Hires Veteran Political Operative

The Ohio Hospital Association has hired a veteran GOP operative to its newly created position of senior vice president of advocacy.

Scott Borgemenke will leave his post as Ohio Assistant Secretary of State to take the position. He is a well-known figure in Ohio GOP politics, and is expected to help hospitals break a potential stalemate in the Republican-controlled Legislature regarding expanding Medicaid under the auspices of the Affordable Care Act.

Although Ohio Gov. John Kasich supports expanding Medicaid, the Legislature has yet to approve such an expansion, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year is optional. About a dozen states have yet to decide whether to expand their Medicaid eligibility, even though the federal government will pick up 100% of the cost between 2014 and 2017 and 90% after that.

“He helped make my office more efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of Ohioans. As healthcare and government have been forced closer together than ever before, people with talents like Scott’s are indispensable in helping business and government speak the same language,” Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said in a statement.

HIV Cases in Minnesota On The Rise

The number of Minnesotans who tested positive for HIV last year increased for the first time in more than a decade, and officials are at a loss to explain the uptick.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, there were 315 cases of HIV diagnosed last year, up 8% from 2011. Cases among foreign-born men was up 63%, although there was no data suggesting whether those cases involved the virus being contracted in Minnesota or outside of the United States.

"It is disappointing to see an 8 percent increase in new infections in the state and especially to see the disproportionate impact among young gay and bisexual men of all races, African Americans and new immigrants," said Bill Tiedemann, executive director of the Minnesota AIDS Project. "The prevention, testing and education efforts of the Minnesota AIDS Project are a critical piece of a community wide effort to stop HIV in all communities. But we'll need to invest in and integrate prevention and intervention programs that target all communities that are at increased risk for infection."