Whitmer admin disputes pending report on nursing home deaths

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is disputing the methodology and conclusions in a pending report that is expected to say there were nearly 30% more coronavirus-related deaths tied to long-term care facilities in Michigan than reported by the state.

Auditors plan to release their review next week, but the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services sought to publicly preempt it.

In a letter written Sunday and released Wednesday, director Elizabeth Hertel referenced "serious concerns" to the state auditor’s office — including with its plan to combine COVID-19 deaths at facilities that are subject to state or federal reporting requirements and those that aren’t.