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Promoting Patient-Centered Medical Homes will improve Michigan’s overall health. Michigan needs an improved healthcare delivery model that is affordable, accessible, and efficient. Each citizen should have a Patient-Centered Medical Home, which will improve the quality of healthcare and reduce costs by identifying health problems and focusing on wellness prevention early, before issues become severe or chronic.

Poor lifestyle choices and an outdated approach to healthcare have caused Michigan to be one of the unhealthiest states in the nation. Roughly half of the causes of death in Michigan are related to preventable risk factors like cigarette smoking, overeating, and lack of exercise. While the highest value is placed on making sure that the younger members of the population are healthy and cared for (see chart at right), the larger adult population has not taken on enough responsibility for its own personal decisions. For years, discussions across Michigan have looked at healthcare as a way to treat disease. Now, people are beginning to understand that this is only half the equation.

Public-Private Partnerships will increase access to health care for those in dire need. The state should support public-private partnerships, local community pilot projects, and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that help reduce costs and increase access for vulnerable citizens. These programs provide a viable alternative for the uninsured and under-insured who would normally go directly to the emergency room for costly care.

Rick Snyder is the best candidate to reform Michigan’s healthcare system. A lack of leadership by career politicians is partly to blame for Michigan’s unhealthiness. Rick, on the other hand, co-founded a successful Michigan company that combines innovative technology with traditional healthcare expertise to provide an interactive, web-based health-coach for individuals to develop a personal plan to live healthier. The ailing political system needs its own health plan, and Rick Snyder is the leader to turn things around for Michigan.

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