Free Clinic Fears Funding Cuts Are Coming

During his first week in office, Michigan's new governor, Rick Snyder, is looking for ways to create a balanced budget for the state. But where will his budget ax land?

The head of a free clinic in Detroit  fears the new governor may chip away programs that helps the poor, including trimming funds from Medicaid.

Sister Mary Ellen Howard of St. Francis Cabrini Free Clinic tells WWJ's Pat Sweeting that cuts to Medicade could be detrimental to patients.

"We're going to see a lot more uninsured people in this state.  We're got 1.1 million right now in the state of Michigan who are uninsured. That's the latest count," Howard said.

"Maybe even higher than that, because people keep losing their insurance. And, health reform has not clicked in yet for the uninsured," she said.

Howard says Medicade takes up a large portion of the state budget and that makes it a target for cuts.

"My understand is that in recent years we balanced the budget using stimulus funds," Howard said.

Now that that money's gone, Howard wonders how Governor Snyder will be able to insulate Medicade from cuts.