Over 168,000 Michiganders were renewed for Medicaid

by | Nov 30, 2023 | Health and Wellness

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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 29, 2023

CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112, Sutfinl1@michigan.gov

Over 168,000 Michiganders were renewed for Medicaid in October
Events with The Salvation Army helped 1,500 Michiganders maintain coverage

LANSING, Mich. – Today, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced it has renewed Medicaid or Healthy Michigan plan coverage for 168,088 people whose eligibility was up for redetermination in October.

Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan beneficiaries must renew their coverage over the next year to comply with federal legislation that requires states to resume the redetermination of Medicaid eligibility. Annual renewals were paused for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Michigan annual renewals are being staggered to take place monthly through May 2024.

Medicaid renewal events hosted in partnership with The Salvation Army Great Lakes Harbor Light System have assisted Medicaid beneficiaries going through the redetermination process. Recent events helped 1,500 Medicaid beneficiaries in Southeast Michigan with the renewal process.

“MDHHS is working to preserve health benefits for all qualifying residents and will continue to use every option available to achieve that outcome,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “We want to be sure that as many Michiganders as possible can continue to receive Medicaid coverage and appreciate the partnership of The Salvation Army and others in this effort.”

The latest data on Medicaid renewals can be found on MDHHS’ online dashboard.

The dashboard – which is updated monthly – shows that 804,613 people have been renewed to date. The department is awaiting completed enrollment forms from another 85,795 people who were up for renewal in October and have until the end of November to return their paperwork. 

There were 13,618 people who were disenrolled in October because they were no longer eligible and 2,806 whose eligibility was not renewed for procedural reasons – such as not providing requested verification documents like driver’s license, pay stubs and bank statements. MDHHS can reinstate eligibility back to the termination date for people who were disenrolled based on a procedural reason and are subsequently found to be eligible for Medicaid during a 90-day reconsideration period. 

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

This includes:

  • Extending the renewal date to May 2024 for beneficiaries undergoing life-saving treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy infusions or dialysis.
  • Allowing managed care plans to assist enrollees they serve in completing and submitting Medicaid renewal forms.
  • Sharing lists with managed care organizations of their enrollees who are due for renewal or have not responded to provide additional outreach to those beneficiaries.
  • Reinstating eligibility back to the termination date for people who were disenrolled based on a procedural reason – such as not returning reenrollment forms on time – and are subsequently found to be eligible for Medicaid during a 90-day reconsideration period. 
  • Providing beneficiaries an extra month to submit paperwork to help avoid loss of health care coverage.

MDHHS advises all Medicaid enrollees to check their renewal month and renew online at Michigan.gov/MIBridges. MDHHS will send monthly renewal notices four months before a beneficiary’s renewal date and follow up with text messages, phone calls, and emails during their renewal month.

Updated data on September renewals that were extended through October are also available on the online dashboard.

MDHHS advises families to return any renewal paperwork 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 still be able to obtain health care benefits through another program.

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

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.

Michigan Medicaid beneficiaries can learn more, including what they need to do to prepare for renewals, on the Medicaid Benefit Changes website.