My Dad (primary care doc) and uncle (dermatologist) have spent two years meeting with state representatives to try to make this happen.
The first bill is HB 5770 of 2026, introduced March 19, 2026.
Sponsor: Rep. Curt VanderWall (R-Ludington), co-introduced with Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Township). Currently pending in the House Health Policy Committee.
Subject heading: Health: facilities; collection of facility fees by hospital outpatient departments; prohibit.
What it does: bans hospital outpatient departments from collecting facility fees, with the prohibition taking effect January 1, 2027. The Michigan Health & Hospital Association is the lead opposition; site-neutral payment policy is the broader framing. Hospitals aquire primary care practices, then institute facility fees, which double their reimbursement. Allowing them to have an unfair advantage against physician owned practices.
The second related bill is moving through the same committee — HB 5709, sponsored by Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) — which would eliminate certificate-of-need (CON) requirements for certain imaging services at outpatient centers. Michigan is one of only two states to not yet eliminate our certificate-of-need laws. (CON laws restrict physicians from competing with hospitals by renting MRI machines, which have drastically gone down in price.)
They've been working so hard to level the playing field for independent physicians. If you want to support this initiative, please call your state representative and tell them that you want them to support bills 5770 and 5709.