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Whitmer directs state depts. to help Michiganders who must requalify for Medicaid coverage

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Whitmer directs state depts. to help Michiganders who must requalify for Medicaid coverage

May 11, 2023 | 1:27 pm ET
By Anna Liz Nichols
Whitmer directs state depts. to help Michiganders who must requalify for Medicaid coverage
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All state departments in Michigan are instructed to help the state health department where they can, per an executive directive issued this week by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as about one-third of Michigan’s population will have to requalify for their Medicaid coverage next month.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which created various rules to limit the effects of the pandemic, placed a pause on having to annually requalify for Medicaid health insurance benefits. Over the pandemic, the caseload for Medicaid in Michigan grew by 700,000 people, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

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As new people qualified for coverage, those who would have become ineligible remained covered.

Annual renewals for the over 3 million Michigan residents covered by Medicaid will resume in June. DHHS will determine which recipients are no longer eligible for coverage.

State departments will have to work to ensure Michiganders are even aware they will have to requalify, after years of continuous enrollment during the pandemic, Whitmer said in a news release Thursday announcing her directive to state agencies.

Nationwide, it is estimated by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services that 15 million people will lose their Medicaid coverage as states begin reviewing eligibility. Around 400,000 Michiganders could lose Medicaid coverage as the state reviews eligibility, according to the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency.

Whitmer’s executive directive instructs state departments to help inform Michiganders of the upcoming review and share alternative health coverage options for those deemed ineligible.

Michigan has already created websites through the state health department and the department of insurance to provide information about Medicaid eligibility and other options for coverage.

Departments are advised by Whitmer to identify where they intersect with those who might be impacted by Medicaid re enrollment, an example being employers and unions departments have existing relationships with.

Michiganders are encouraged to make sure their contact information is up to date with the state health department so they can be updated of timelines and information.