Over 1.4M Michigan residents renewed for Medicaid coverage; roll purge reaches 701,500

Over 140,000 Michiganians were renewed for Medicaid last month, bringing the total renewed coverage under the Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan above 1.4 million people, the state Department of Health and Human Services said Friday.

An additional 14,688 people were taken off the rolls for eligibility or procedural issues in February. This raised the total number of residents who lost Medicaid health coverage to 701,589 since June 2023 for either procedural reasons or because they are no longer eligible, said Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

The post-pandemic roll purge is more than triple the 200,000 cuts predicted by the Michigan House Fiscal Agency last year.

Medicaid recipients were allowed to maintain coverage under the government health insurance program for the working poor without re-applying annually during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 ended this pandemic-era pause, and Michigan reinstated the annual renewal and income-evaluation process last spring.

Single adult recipients are not allowed to earn more than $18,000 a year under state-federal rules.

The state has since been trying to maintain health care coverage for as many residents as possible, Michigan Health Department Director Elizabeth Hertel said in the news release.

"I'm pleased we've been able to renew Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan coverage for more than 1.4 million people so far," Hertel said. "This has been a collaborative effort with many partners and advocates assisting us by communicating with and informing beneficiaries. I'm grateful for all the work and coordination that has gone into helping make sure those who are eligible retain their benefits."

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Midland-based research group, has said reinforcing the eligibility rules is a welcome development. Since Medicaid is intended to ensure that low-income individuals can get medical treatment, the ineligible people still are eligible for federal subsidies to buy their own private health insurance, said James Hohman, the Mackinac Center's director of fiscal policy.

In February, 142,296 people whose eligibility was up for redetermination were renewed for coverage, bringing the total number of renewed Michiganians up to 1,431,695, according to the welfare and health department. An additional 96,699 were up for renewal in February and have until March to return their paperwork to the state.

The 2,032 people who were not renewed in February for procedural reasons can have their eligibility reinstated if they are found to still be eligible during a 90-day reconsideration period, according to the department.

To reduce the number of Michigan residents at risk of losing Medicaid coverage, the state health department extended renewals to May 2024 for beneficiaries undergoing life-saving treatments, extended automatic enrollment into a Medicaid managed care plan up to 120 days, and is providing beneficiaries an extra month to submit their paperwork, the news release said.

Medicaid recipients can check their renewal month and renew online here. The welfare and health department encouraged families to submit the paperwork even if they don't expect to be eligible.

"Some members of a household can obtain health care coverage even when others are not eligible," the news release said. "For example, a child may be eligible for MiChild, even if their parent is not eligible for other Medicaid programs."

hmackay@detroitnews.com