Michigan provides monthly update on Medicaid renewals

Note: Numbers have been corrected from an earlier version of this press release. October 25, 2023

Oct. 23-27 Salvation Army event to help beneficiaries renew coverage

LANSING, Mich. – Today, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced it has renewed Medicaid or Healthy Michigan plan coverage for 150,577 people whose eligibility was up for redetermination in September.

To help Medicaid beneficiaries with the renewal process and ensure they keep their health care coverage, MDHHS is partnering with The Salvation Army Great Lakes Harbor Light System to host a weeklong Medicaid Renewal event in Detroit from Monday, Oct. 23 through Friday, Oct. 27. Announcement of the event comes as MDHHS shares its monthly update on Medicaid renewals.

“MDHHS and valued partners like The Salvation Army continue to do all that we can to preserve Medicaid coverage for qualifying Michigan families,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “We want to be sure that as many Michiganders as possible can continue to receive Medicaid coverage so that they can keep their families healthy.”

During the Medicaid Renewal event, information about how people can renew their coverage will be available at all stops of The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Trucks that feed people who are in need. Details are on The Salvation Army Great Lakes Harbor Light website.

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.

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

The dashboard – which is updated monthly – shows that 607,996 people have been renewed to date. The department is awaiting completed enrollment forms from another 98,395 people who were up for renewal in September and have until the end of October to return their paperwork. 

There were 12,216 people who were disenrolled in September because they were no longer eligible and 1,987 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. 

MDHHS advises all Medicaid enrollees to check their renewal month 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.

MDHHS is continuing to review, analyze and update its data for Medicaid beneficiaries up for renewal in September due to the extension of procedural terminations to the end of October. Updated data on August renewals that were extended through September 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.

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