It’s not so much that the Medicaid procedures are changing as much as they are going back to how the program did things before the pandemic.
What that means is people who are receiving Medicaid will have to go back to the renewal process. A renewal is when the program checks if the current recipients are still eligible for free or low-cost Medicaid coverage.
Medicaid and Healthy Michigan, which is the state-run Medicaid expansion program, will start the eligibility renewal process on April 1. Notices were sent to let people know their renewal dates in March. The re-enrollment period is from June 2023 to May 31, 2024.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) advises Medicaid beneficiaries to do the following in preparation of getting the paperwork:
Make sure your address, phone number, and email address are up to date at the MI Bridges portal at www.michigan.gov/MIBridges. If you don’t have an online MI Bridges account to access your Medicaid case or report changes, you can also use the same website to create an account. You can also call your local MDHHS office and tell them any updated information or find organizations to help.
Report any changes regarding your household or income at www.michigan.gov/MIBridges or calling your local MDHHS office.
If you get a renewal packet, be sure to fill it out, sign the forms and return it with any proof needed by the due date.
If you haven’t received your renewal packet and your renewal month is close, call the state health department at 855.789.5610 for help.
MDHHS advises you to check both blank envelopes and envelopes from MDHHS. Both could contain the renewal eligibility paperwork. The department also suggests checking texts regarding the renewal deadlines and updates. Also, different people in the same household can have different renewal dates.
The department offers those who find out they no longer qualify for Medicaid or Healthy Michigan will receive additional information about other available health coverage options, including those on HealthCare.gov, otherwise known as ‘Obamacare.’ One option costs less than $10 a month.
“The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) is committed to working with MDHHS and our partners nationwide to help impacted Michiganders get the affordable, comprehensive health insurance they need,” DIFS Director Anita Fox said in a press release.
“DIFS stands ready to answer questions about purchasing a health insurance plan. Call DIFS at 877.999.6442, Monday through Friday from 8:000 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit Michigan.gov/HealthInsurance to learn more.”
Though the MDHHS couldn’t provide the number of Black people on Medicaid or Healthy Michigan, there are 860,071 beneficiaries in Wayne County, according to its February 2023 Green Book Report of Key Programs.
During the pandemic, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. That required state Medicaid agencies to continue covering everyone on state and national medical programs, even if the person’s eligibility changed. This allowed three million Michiganders—including one million people who are in the Healthy Michigan program—to have some healthcare without having to report any changes.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023—which was signed on December 29, 2022—ended the requirement of the state-run and federal-run healthcare programs to cover people regardless of income change.
To find out more about how benefits connected to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency are changing, go to www.Michigan.gov/2023BenefitsChanges or call the Beneficiary Help Line at 800.642.3195 (TTY: 866.501.5656) Monday through Friday from 8;00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
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