Michigan Roundup | Michigan PeriSCope | Health Policy Bulletin |
Michigan Economic Bulletin
Public Policy Advisor
A periodic series that examines such subjects as fiscal and tax policy, health and environmental issues, and education policy and offers commentary on current or emerging political, social, and policy issues.
Written by various staff members.
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A Cautious Approach to Social Security Reform
by Robert J. Kleine, Vice President and Senior Economist
Discusses the implications of various proposals allowing Social Security Trust Fund monies to be invested in the stock market.
January 17
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Special Education: An Interview with Dr. Robert Docking
by Laurie A .Cummings Senior Consultant for Economic and Education Policy
Discusses the results of mainstreaming special-education students into regular classrooms.
February 7
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Shaping the Market: Health Policy in Michigan
by Peter Pratt, Ph.D., Vice President and Senior Consultant for Health Policy
Discusses policymakers’ wish to shape the Michigan health care market and the unusual bipartisanship involved.
February 14
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The Governor’s Budget, FY 1997–98
by Robert J. Kleine and Laurie A. Cummings
Summaries the highlights of Governor Engler’s recommend state budget for the next fiscal year and comments on the budget’s economic assumptions as well as its controversial aspects.
March 7
- Public Attitudes About Schools
by Kara Douma, M.P.A., Senior Consultant for Survey Research Discusses what’s right and wrong with our schools, based on data from the 1996 Michigan Education Poll, conducted by PSC, and a 1997 Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.
April 4
- Michigan Braces for Term Limits
by Craig Ruff, President Reviews the context of the voters’ approval of term limits, describes changes already underway, and examines future consequences of this once-in-a-lifetime shakeup of Michigan politics.
June 6
- The Gaming Boom in Michigan
by Laurie A. Cummings and Robert Kleine. Discusses the various types of gaming and the potential economic and social effects of expanding this activity in Michigan.
July 3
- Michigan’s School Bond Loan Fund: A Program in Need of Repair
by Nick Khouri, Vice President. Explains the loan fund, describes its current problems, and offers a partial list of solutions.
July 11
- Proposal A: An Early Evaluation
by Robert J. Kleine Reviews the history of Michigan’s attempts to change the way in which public K–12 education is financed and presents an early appraisal of the sweeping reforms wrought by the passage in 1994 of Proposal A.
September 5
- Overview and Analysis of the Michigan Budget, Fiscal Year 1997–98
by Robert J. Kleine and Laurie A. Cummings Describes the FY 1997–98 state budget; includes changes from FY 1996–97 appropriations and from the governor’s recommendations as well as discussion of the few measures about which there was particular controversy.
September 12
- What’s Wrong with the Single Business Tax?
by Nick Khouri, Vice President Examines changes in the state’s single business tax that took effect this year, points out that the levy’s revenue—which was expected to increase slightly—appears actually to be decreasing and speculates as to why.
October 3
- New Ways to Govern Local Schools
by Craig Ruff Proposes that school boards could be changed in a number of ways, most notably to comprise not just elected members but also some appointed trustee members; such trustees could be selected to provide geographic, ethnic, or other balance when it is missing on the board and fill gaps in expertise.
October 10
- Tax-Free Renaissance Zones: A Preview of the Results
by Laurie A. Cummings Reviews some of the initial evidence on economic development in Michigan’s tax-free renaissance zones.
December 12
Michigan Roundup (top)
A one-page summary of Michigan legislative activity and political news of significance to government operations, public policy, and voter attitudes. Published weekly during legislative sessions and intermittently during legislative recesses.
Written by David Kimball and Jonathan Hansen, Affiliated Consultants.
Michigan PeriSCope (top)
Brief commentaries and opinion pieces on issues of the day. Published periodically, sometimes in conjunction with Michigan Roundup.
Written by various staff members.
Health Policy Bulletin (top)
A monthly publication that provides analysis of important health care issues under consideration by the legislature, executive branch, and professional associations.
Written by Peter Pratt, Ph.D., Vice President and Senior Consultant for Health Care Policy, Jeff Williams, Senior Consultant, and Lisa D. Baragar, Consultant for Health Policy.
- An Interview with Sen. Dale Shugars about Health Policy
Reports the chair of the Michigan Senate’s Committee on Health Policy and Senior Citizen’s observations about the last legislative session’s work and his priorities for the 1997–98 session.
January
- An Interview with Rep. Joseph Palamara
Reports the chair of the Michigan House’s Committee on Health Policy’s views on the health issues before the legislature in this session, his commitment to bipartisanship, and his expectations for his committee.
February
- Hospital Conversions: Nonprofit to For-Profit
Summarizes provisions of and views about various pieces of legislation proposing to regulate hospital acquisitions and mergers.
March
- Community Benefits of Michigan Hospitals
Discusses the community-benefits requirement in pending state legislation to regulate conversion of not-for-profit hospitals to for-profit status.
April
- SE Michigan Medicaid Managed-Care Plans Announced
Lists the 13 plans that have qualified to deliver comprehensive health services under capitated, managed-care arrangements to Medicaid populations in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, and Washtenaw counties.
May
- Health Professionals, Department Review Disciplinary Process
Reviews the major health-professional disciplinary reforms adopted in 1993 and examines the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services’s recent report to the legislature concerning the success and failure of the reforms.
June
- Reflections on the FY 1997–98 Community Health Budget
Summarizes the coming fiscal year’s budget, presents the observations of some interested parties, and describes some of the matters of contention in getting the budget passed.
July
- Federal Children’s Health Care Initiative
Describes the new federal program and the state’s alternatives for participating in this initiative to expand health care benefits for uninsured and low-income children.
August
- Maximus: Michigan’s Medicaid Enrollment Broker
Describes the enrollment broker’s role in the state’s Medicaid managed-care program and presents information about the company that has the contract and how its performance will be evaluated.
September
- Policymakers, Others Examine MDCH’S MIChild Program
Reports MIChild, the plan for using Michigan’s share—$91.6 million—of the federal money appropriated for the children’s health initiative.
October
- Dr. Gilbert Omenn: New Man at U. of M.
Profiles the University of Michigan’s first executive vice president of medical affairs and reports on his plans for the university’s extensive health system.
November
- The Year in Review: Health Policy
Reviews health policy legislation passed in 1997 and the agenda for 1998.
December
Michigan Economic Bulletin (top)
A monthly review of economic indicators, state revenue receipts, and appropriations and tax developments. Each issue contains current good and bad economic news, an article of special focus, a list of publications of interest, and economic news from the state capitol; in alternating quarters, a special insert presents a general economic forecast or an analysis of economic data for each of the seven Michigan regions.
Written by Robert J. Kleine, M.B.A., Vice President and Senior Economist and Laurie A. Cummings, M.S., Senior Consultant for Economic and Education Policy. (available in Acrobat® format)