Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2023

CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112, SutfinL1@michigan.gov  

Medicaid beneficiaries will continue to have an extra
month to submit eligibility renewal paperwork
Michigan working to preserve health care coverage as renewal process resumes

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced today that Medicaid beneficiaries with upcoming deadlines for returning renewal forms will have an extra month to submit paperwork to avoid loss of health care coverage due to not responding. This timeline will continue monthly going forward through May 2024 and does include individuals with a Monday, July 31 deadline.

“MDHHS is taking proactive steps to ensure that Medicaid recipients have as much time as possible to submit their renewal paperwork,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “Our goal is to preserve health benefits for all qualifying residents and will continue to use every option available to achieve that outcome.”

Today’s action is the latest effort by MDHHS to preserve Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan eligibility for residents as requirements for annual renewals have resumed following the COVID-19 pandemic. MDHHS will work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to delay procedural terminations for future months to ensure beneficiaries have adequate time to complete and submit renewal paperwork.

Previously, the department gave Medicaid beneficiaries who had been asked to return forms by June 30 another month, with a new deadline of Monday, July 31 before they would be disqualified for not responding. That approach was successful with approximately 15,000 additional renewals in July and, as a result, MDHHS decided to apply that strategy going forward to this first year of eligibility renewals after the pandemic.

That deadline for the June cohort doesn’t extend further based on today’s announcement. Additional information about new due dates can be found in the Eligibility Timeline.

Additional MDHHS efforts to help Michiganders keep their coverage are possible as a result of the CMS approving new flexibilities and strategies to state officials to lessen the impact of the resumption of Medicaid renewals.

MDHHS advises families to return any renewal paperwork they receive from the department even if they believe they are no longer eligible for Medicaid. Some members of a household can obtain health care coverage even when others are not eligible. For example, a child may be eligible for MiChild, even if their parent is not eligible for other Medicaid programs. Or some Michiganders may have income that is over the income limit for one program and will still be able to obtain health care benefits through another program.

Starting in June this year, Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan beneficiaries were required to renew their coverage, as was the case before the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, to comply with federal legislation.

Renewals for traditional Medicaid and the Healthy Michigan Plan are staggered to take place monthly starting in June 2023 and running through May 2024. MDHHS will send monthly renewal notices three months before a beneficiary’s renewal date.

More than 3 million Michiganders, including 1 million Healthy Michigan enrollees, benefitted from keeping their Medicaid coverage without redeterminations on eligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act that required state Medicaid agencies to continue health care coverage for all medical assistance programs, even if someone’s eligibility changed. Michigan’s Medicaid caseload grew by more than 700,000 people during the public health emergency. This requirement was ended by the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 signed Dec. 29, 2022.

MDHHS will assess a household’s eligibility for all Medicaid programs – not just for the programs in which an individual is currently enrolled, and also for each family member in the household.

MDHHS advises all Medicaid enrollees to check their renewal month at Michigan.gov/MIBridges.

Michiganders who no longer qualify for Medicaid will receive additional information about other affordable health coverage options available, including on HealthCare.gov. Affected Michiganders will be able to shop for and enroll in comprehensive health insurance as they transition away from Medicaid, and many Michiganders can purchase a plan for less than $10 per month.

What Michigan Medicaid beneficiaries need to do to prepare:

1. Make sure your address, phone number and email address are up to date at gov/MIBridges. You can also call your local MDHHS office. If you do not have an online account for MI Bridges to access your Medicaid case or report changes, visit Michigan.gov/MIBridges to sign up for an account. You can also locate organizations that can help you by searching for community partners.
2. Report any changes to your household or income. You can report changes at gov/MIBridges or by calling your local MDHHS office.
3. If you get a renewal packet, be sure to fill it out, sign the forms and return it by the due date with any proof needed. NOTE: If you do not complete and return the renewal, you may lose Medicaid coverage.

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) is working with MDHHS to help impacted Michiganders get affordable, comprehensive health insurance if they are determined to be no longer eligible for Medicaid. DIFS can answer questions about purchasing a health insurance plan. Call DIFS at 877-999-6442, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit Michigan.gov/StayCovered to learn more.

To ensure beneficiaries are aware of upcoming federal redetermination requirements and help them keep their coverage if eligible, MDHHS has launched a multimedia advertising campaign. This includes radio, audio streaming, outdoor, mobile and social media ads, including minority media outlets and stakeholder communications. The department is also working with other state government departments in its efforts to get the word out to beneficiaries.

More information about the how benefits connected to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency are changing can be found at Michigan.gov/2023BenefitChanges.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2023

CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112, [email protected]

MDHHS reports presumptive positive case of influenza A H3 (swine flu) variant detected in Lapeer County resident

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Lapeer and Oakland County health departments have identified a presumptive positive human case of influenza A H3 variant (swine flu) in a Lapeer County resident who was an exhibitor at the Oakland County Fair. The fair took place July 7-16 at the Springfield Oaks County Park in Davisburg. A respiratory specimen that tested presumptive positive for swine flu will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing.

Oakland County Health Division has been reaching out to swine exhibitors and their families who visited the swine barns at the Oakland County Fair to identify any additional illnesses in those who may have been exposed to influenza from infected pigs. Oakland County Health Division has already alerted providers in their jurisdiction to watch for patients presenting with respiratory symptoms who report exposure to swine or who visited the fair.

“Visitors of the Oakland County Fair should monitor for flu-like symptoms: fever, respiratory symptoms like cough and runny nose, and body aches, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. “If you believe you may have the flu, contact your health care provider and stay home until you have recovered.”

Below are some steps you can take to protect yourself and prevent the spread of any illness:

• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Refrain from eating or drinking in livestock barns or show rings.
• Do not take toys, pacifiers, cups, baby bottles, strollers, or similar items into pig areas.
• Anyone who is at high risk of serious flu complications and planning to attend a fair should avoid pigs and swine barns.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• If you are sick, stay home from work or school until your illness is over.
• Avoid contact with pigs if you have flu-like symptoms. Wait seven days after your illness started or until you have been without fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, whichever is longer.
• Get an annual influenza vaccination.

Pigs may be infected with swine influenza viruses that are different from human flu viruses. Swine flu viruses spread among pigs and – while rare – they can spread from pigs to people too. Spread of swine flu viruses from a pig to a person is thought to happen in the same way that human flu viruses spread; mainly through droplets when infected pigs cough and sneeze.

Symptoms of variant influenza infection in people are similar to those of seasonal flu viruses and can include fever and respiratory symptoms, such as cough and runny nose, and possibly other symptoms, such as body aches, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Infections with influenza viruses (including variant viruses like influenza A H3) can sometimes cause severe disease, even in healthy people.

Severe illness can include complications, such as pneumonia, which may require hospitalization, and sometimes causes death. People who are at high risk of developing complications if they get variant influenza infection include children younger than 5 years of age, people 65 years of age and older, pregnant women and people with certain long-term health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems and neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions.

The time period it takes from exposure to illness for variant influenza is similar to that of seasonal influenza, which can be up to 10 days, but is most commonly three days. Currently, there is no vaccine for influenza A H3 and the seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against Influenza A H3; however, prescription antiviral drugs, such as oseltamivir and zanamivir, are effective in treating influenza A H3 virus infections. Early treatment works best and may be especially important for people with a high-risk condition.

For more information, visit CDC.gov/SwineFlu