The Michigan Association of Health Plans launched the MAHP Foundation in 1998, as a vehicle to conduct research on issues affecting health plans and their members. The MAHP Foundation works to address several objectives:

• To stimulate health plans to achieve prevention and public health goals, in conjunction with their communities;
• To link health plan initiatives in disease management, with emphasis on assessing outcomes and disseminating findings; and
• To create better alignment between medical and allied medical training programs and managed care approaches

In 1999, the MAHP Foundation collaborated with the Michigan Department of Community Health to address the growing burden diabetes in Michigan, developing tools for health plans and resources for health plan providers and members. By 2003, that collaboration grew to include several chronic disease projects addressing asthma, cancer, diabetes, overweight and obesity, stroke and tobacco use. These projects established the MAHP Foundation’s leading role in programs that help health plans and providers to prevent and manage chronic disease.  

Foundation projects in recent years have included a survey of health plan members to identify factors that were barriers or motivators to colorectal cancer screening; an examination of the relationship between school health centers and health plans; development of a consensus plan to advocate improvements in Medicaid maternal child health. With the MSU Institute for Health Care Studies, the MAHP Foundation recently examined the outcomes of Medicaid patients who have had bariatric surgery. Currently, the Foundation is working with Tomorrows Child to improve infant safe sleep education in primary care practices identified by health plans.

In 2007, the MAHP Foundation was provisionally accredited to offer continuing medical education programs and offered two programs, including the Best Practices Forum, featuring discussion of programs recognized with the MAHP Pinnacle Award.