In this episode of the MiCare Champion Cast, Lauren LaPine, senior director of legislative & public policy, MHA, provided insight on how Michigan continues to experience issues with timely access to behavioral health services. More specifically, LaPine shares how and why Medicaid patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis are often stuck in emergency departments (EDs) longer than those who are commercially insured. LaPine explores the proposed solution of expanding the three-hour assessment responsibility in order to allow clinically qualified staff to conduct pre-admission screenings in order to improve the delivery of care for behavioral health patients in Michigan hospital EDs.