LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan prisons still have a more than $6 million bill owed to local EMS agencies for their response to emergency calls. Now, two Michigan House members are asking the Legislature to take action and reimburse those agencies.
Why has the outstanding bill not been paid?
State Reps. Jaime Greene (R-Richmond) and David Prestin (R-Cedar River) sent letters to House Appropriations Chair Angela Witwer (D-Delta Township) and Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw), chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections. Greene and Prestin called for the state to cover the millions of dollars owed to EMS agencies. The outstanding bill comes after Michigan’s former health care contractor, Wellpath, failed to pay for services provided to inmates in 2023 and 2024. Those services range from services in Lapeer County to several in the Upper Peninsula.
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“Our EMS providers put their lives on the line to ensure every patient receives care, even those within our correctional system. The least we can do is guarantee that these heroes are compensated for their service,” said Greene. “The failure of Wellpath and the lack of oversight have left our EMS agencies struggling financially,” Greene said.
Wellpath ended its contract with the state.
Wellpath’s contract with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) ended in April 2024. That left roughly 15 EMS providers holding the bag for emergency services provided to prison facilities. Wellpath recently informed EMS agencies that it could not pay these claims, shifting the blame to the MDOC for lack of clarity.
“Ambulance services that serve our prisons are usually small rural services, often funded by taxpayer millages and fees for service,” said Prestin.”They operate on razor-thin budgets. Wellpath [has left] individual departments unreimbursed for tens of thousands of dollars.”
Calls for immediate funding.
In the letters to Witwer and O’Neal, Greene and Prestin request that the Legislature provide immediate funding for EMS reimbursements, while urging MDOC to move forward with its lawsuit to hold Wellpath accountable for those bills.
MDOC is facing more than a dispute with its former emergency services provider. Michigan’s prison system has been highly understaffed for months. Officers called on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in July to activate the Michigan National Guard to help cover shifts. She has not responded to this request.
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