During the federal COVID-19 Health Emergency, more than 3 million Michiganders benefitted from continuous Medicaid coverage, without having to renew eligibility. Now for the first time since the pandemic's onset, federal guidelines require residents to reapply for coverage.
In Michigan, renewals are staggered to take place monthly, starting in June and running through May of 2024. However, the state is offering some leeway.
Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement, it won’t disqualify residents who fail to get their paperwork in, until the end of July. This decision comes from new guidance from the Federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
“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,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel.
“We are pleased that our federal partners are giving us the option to delay any cancellation of coverage until the end of July so that we have more time to reach out to Medicaid beneficiaries who were required to return their renewal documents but have not yet done so,” Hertel said. “However, we are still emphasizing that anyone who has not returned June renewal forms should do so by the end of this month rather than waiting until July.”
MDHHS is only implementing this change for beneficiaries up for renewal in June and during this additional time will review and adopt additional strategies authorized by the federal government for outreach to beneficiaries to preserve their Medicaid coverage.
Residents who received June renewal packets are still encouraged to meet that deadline. MDHHS is advising families to return renewal forms, even if they believe themselves to be no longer eligible, the department saying there are other pathways for affordable coverage.
More information about Medicaid renewal can be found here.
