FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 12, 2021
CONTACT: Bob Wheaton [email protected]
Gov. Whitmer announces Healthy Michigan Plan top 900,000 enrollees
Expanded Medicaid program helps residents afford coverage
LANSING, Mich. – The Healthy Michigan Plan is now providing health care coverage to more than 900,000 residents for the first time, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced today.
There are now 900,100 people enrolled in the Healthy Michigan Plan, the state’s expanded Medicaid program. Gov. Whitmer and (MDHHS) have strongly supported the Healthy Michigan Plan. When she was State Senate Democratic leader, Whitmer helped pass the bipartisan legislation that created the Healthy Michigan Plan, which was enacted in April 2014.
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and finances of so many Michigan families underscores the importance of the Healthy Michigan Plan for its 900,000 enrollees,” said Gov. Whitmer. “Providing affordable health care coverage to all Michiganders is critical. I am proud of the Healthy Michigan Plan – one that I helped create during my time as Senate Democratic Leader by collaborating with a Republican governor and legislature.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Healthy Michigan Plan beneficiaries jumped from just under 682,000 in late March 2020 to more than 900,000 now. Michigan instituted policies to help families access affordable health care coverage such as deciding to avoid terminating Healthy Michigan Plan coverage and freeze premiums for as long as the COVID-19 public health emergency exists. The state qualified for additional Medicaid funding from the federal government through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
MDHHS has also worked to streamline the application process over the past few years to ensure people eligible to receive benefits are able to access them without unnecessary burdensome requirements.
“The Healthy Michigan Plan is a perfect example of how we can work together with a bipartisan spirit to enact laws that make a positive difference in the lives of Michigan residents,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. ““Our residents have increased access to health care as a direct result of the Healthy Michigan Plan, which allows them to be healthy, successful and productive.”
Healthy Michigan Plan coverage is available to Michiganders ages 19-64 years old who have an income at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level – or $16,971 annually for a single person – and meet other eligibility requirements, such as not qualifying for other Medicaid programs. Expanded Medicaid plans are allowed under the federal Affordable Care Act if states decide to implement them.
Apply for the Healthy Michigan Plan at www.michigan.gov/MIBridges