Medical debt and bankruptcy after traumatic injury in Michigan: Study shows who is most vulnerable

People in the U.S. who are hospitalized for traumatic injuries often experience increased medical debt and bankruptcy, according to a Health Affairs study by a research team including Nora Becker, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of internal medicine, and Justin Dimick, M.D., M.P.H., professor of surgery. The study found that patients covered by public insurance programs such as Medicaid had lower rates of adverse financial outcomes, while privately insured patients experienced higher rates of medical debt and bankruptcy following injury-related hospitalizations.

Policy Impact Snapshot: Improving cerebral palsy care throughout the lifespan

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common pediatric-onset disability in the U.S., with about 10,000 babies diagnosed each year. While many people with mild to moderate CP now live well into adulthood, CP is still often treated as a childhood condition—leaving gaps in awareness and care for adults as they age. Mark Peterson, Ph.D., M.S., professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, studies CP across the lifespan, examining the long-term health impacts of physical disabilities and identifying ways to improve care and support for people with CP throughout adulthood.

Health care access gaps for people with disabilities: 
Insights from IHPI research

Rx Kids’ “cash prescription” aims to give babies a stronger start

Throughout Michigan, the expansion of Rx Kids, an unconditional perinatal cash support program, is drawing attention as a promising public health strategy. Sumit Agarwal, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of internal medicine, serves as lead economist on the Rx Kids research team, examining how unconditional cash support during pregnancy and infancy may reduce financial stress for Michigan families and improve early life outcomes.

Expert Q&A: Sarah Miller, Ph.D., associate professor of business, analyzes impacts of Medicaid changes, guaranteed income, and Rx Kids

Monthly Faculty News Digest

Expert Q&A: Michigan Medicaid’s new limits on GLP-1 weight management medications

Michigan’s state budget, passed in fall 2025, includes a change to Medicaid coverage intended to reduce costs by limiting coverage of GLP-1 weight management medications. The policy could affect up to 1 million low-income Michiganders who are overweight or have obesity. In a recent Detroit News op-ed, Mark Fendrick, M.D., professor of internal medicine, and Lauren Oshman, M.D., M.P.H., clinical professor of family medicine, discuss the policy’s implications for treatment access and obesity-related health outcomes and propose an alternative approach.

High nursing school debt, proposed education loan caps threaten U.S. health care access

Nearly a third of registered and advanced practice nurses in Michigan carry significant student loan debt, which is associated with plans to leave the profession, according to a study published in Health Affairs Scholar. Led by Christopher Friese, Ph.D., R.N., A.O.C.N., professor of nursing, the research analyzes survey data from more than 13,000 nurses and examines how debt and proposed loan limits may affect career decisions and the future nursing workforce.

Family care expectations clash with shrinking availability, dementia needs

Americans believe that the family as a whole—especially a spouse or partner—is responsible for caring for older adults, according to a new study led by Sarah Patterson, Ph.D., M.A., research assistant professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research. And when an older adult has dementia, the family unit’s level of responsibility is seen as even higher.