Put People First.
Reform Michigan’s Behavioral Health System.

“Behavioral health reform isn’t about politics—it’s about people. We need a system that puts care first, cuts the bureaucracy, and gives Michiganders the choice and access they deserve.”
—MI Care Council

Right now, too many Michiganders are blocked from the care they need.
Why? Because our behavioral health system prioritizes paperwork over people. It’s weighed down by outdated structures, unnecessary bureaucracy, and a confusing web of administrators that limit access and choice.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

What’s Broken:

One System, Two Standards
Over 300,000 people with serious mental illness or developmental disabilities receive physical care through Medicaid—but behavioral care is controlled by regional gatekeepers. Your ZIP code decides what care you get. That’s not equity.

Red Tape Costs Lives
Funding flows through multiple administrative layers—first the state, then 10 Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs), then 46 Community Mental Health Authorities (CMHAs), then finally to providers. Each layer adds delay, cost, and confusion.

Built-In Conflicts of Interest
The same entities that decide if care is “medically necessary” also control the budgets. That means cost-saving often comes before care—and patients pay the price with denials, delays, and dead ends.

What Reform Looks Like:

There’s a better way—and it’s already working in other states.

Connecticut’s Model:
By replacing middlemen with Administrative Services Organizations (ASOs), Connecticut put 97.5% of Medicaid dollars directly into care. No financial incentive to deny services. No confusing contracts. Just accountability, fairness, and access.

Michigan can do the same.

A System That Puts People First Would Mean:

  • Less Bureaucracy: Eliminate unnecessary administrative layers.

  • Stronger Access to Care: Expand provider choice and mobility.

  • Fair Payment: Transparent, predictable rates for providers.

  • Real Accountability: Oversight that protects patients—not paperwork.

Michigan’s Behavioral Health System Deserves a Redesign

Change starts when we demand it.

Join the MI Care Council and a growing coalition of providers and advocates
working to redesign a system that works for people—not against them.