Many people in mid-Michigan are praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. But local health officials see a gap in the law that poses a particular challenge.
The cheering audience gathered at Union Missionary Baptist Church in Lansing typified the reaction of millions of Americas applauding the Supreme Court ruling.
The Affordable Care Act will make some 32 million people eligible for health care coverage under Medicaid. But Ingham Health Officer Renee Canady says her office is studying ways to help a small segment of severely impoverished people whom Medicaid will not cover.
"How do we identify those folks who might otherwise fall through the cracks?" Canady says. "How do we make sure that we have a system that has the capacity to respond to them independently? So, it's the start of a lot of much needed work on how we structure health care in this society."
Canady says serving this group of people is a significant part of a comprehensive regional plan that’s still under development.