By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-893814.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Governor Granholm visited a hospital in Lansing to sign an executive order that will start preparing Michigan for the new federal healthcare law. The governor created a healthcare council and ombudsman to start making plans and informing people about their options.
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It will take years to fully implement, but the governor says the immediate impact will be to reduce the ranks of the one million uninsured people in Michigan by a third. The federal government will pick up the additional cost. She says people with health coverage are less likely to make expensive emergency room visits, which will save taxpayers money.
"We've done the analysis and it's a very good deal for Michigan and for our healthcare coverage," she says.
The governor says the new law is also a good deal for young adults who will be able to remain on their parents' health plans, and for small businesses. She says many of the objections to the law are simply political. The governor is at odds with Republican state Attorney General Mike Cox on the question. He has joined a lawsuit seeking to reverse the law as unconstitutional.