Minal R. Patel, PhD, MPH
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minalrpphd.bsky.social
Minal R. Patel, PhD, MPH
@minalrpphd.bsky.social

Professor at the University of Michigan | Expert in how healthcare costs and unmet needs affect people with chronic illness | Making healthcare less confusing, less expensive, and more helpful to people’s lives | https://minalrpatel.com/ .. more

Public Health 52%
Medicine 26%

Testified today at Michigan Senate in support of SB 449-451 to protect 1M Michiganders from medical debt on credit reports. As I wrote in @freep.com , debt forgiveness helps but prevention is the solution. Grateful to legislators working on this.

Reposted by Minal Patel

The team behind this new study was led by @minalrpphd.bsky.social of @umichsph.bsky.social and @susangoold.bsky.social of the University of Michigan Medical School
Learn more about our Medicaid evaluation project here: ihpi.umich.edu/research-pol...
Healthy Michigan Plan Evaluation
Did Michigan’s expansion of Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income adults, lead to improved access to health care and better health? From 2014 to 2024, IHPI studied these questio...
ihpi.umich.edu

Gov. Whitmer just erased $144M in medical debt for 200K+ Michigan families 👏
That’s huge—but it’s not a fix.

In my @freep.com op-ed, I explain how Michigan can prevent medical debt—not just forgive it:

www.freep.com/story/opinio...
Forgiving medical debt is crucial, but it won't fix our health care system | Opinion
Debt relief is a compassionate bandage, but without structural reform, the wound keeps reopening.
www.freep.com

Nearly 1 million Michiganders carry medical debt—that's more than double the populations of Grand Rapids, Lansing & Ann Arbor combined. 80% of medical bills contain errors, but we have a solution hiding in plain sight- CHWs. My latest in
@bridgemi.com www.bridgemi.com/guest-commen...
Opinion | Michigan has tools to ease medical debt. Does it have the will? | Bridge Michigan
Medical debt is a public health issue, and Michigan should enlist Community Health Workers to help residents navigate a system designed to confuse.
www.bridgemi.com

4/ Prevention matters for the long haul, but people need affordable care today.
Worth reading Levitt's full analysis: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
#HealthcareAffordability #HealthPolicy @kffhealthnews.org
Make American Health Care Affordable Again
This JAMA Forum discusses the cost of health care in the US for individuals covered by commercial insurance and for those covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
jamanetwork.com

3/ And it's about to get worse.
With ACA credits expiring, 20M+ face $705 average premium hikes.

Meanwhile, potential Medicaid cuts could shift costs to states and patients.

2/ Key stats that should alarm everyone:
• US healthcare: $13K+ per person (2x other countries)
• 45% worry about affording care DESPITE having insurance
• $220+ billion in medical debt nationwide

1/ 🚨 While we focus on "Make America Healthy Again," @larrylevitt.bsky.social argues we need "Make American Health Care Affordable Again"
Thread on why this matters RIGHT NOW 🧵