LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined the Sparrow Mobile Health Clinic in Lansing to help remind Michigan residents that they will need to once again complete their Medicaid benefit renewal packets to avoid losing coverage.

During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which required state Medicaid agencies to continue health care coverage for all medical assistance programs, even if a recipient’s eligibility changed. The changes made to Medicaid’s eligibility, administration and policies prevented beneficiaries from losing health care coverage during the pandemic. Due to federal legislation and the end of the Public Health Emergency, the renewal eligibility process has restarted and Medicaid recipients once again need to confirm they are still eligible. For most Medicaid beneficiaries, the renewal process will happen annually.

“The changes made to Medicaid at the height of the pandemic allowed millions of families to retain their health coverage,” Nessel said in a press release. “I urge everyone who has Medicaid to submit their renewal forms by the deadline to determine eligibility and maintain this critical benefit.”

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Medicaid beneficiaries will receive an awareness letter three months prior to their renewal date. The renewal deadline is based on the month the beneficiary first enrolled in Medicaid – renewal dates can be checked on the MI Bridges website or by calling the local MDHHS office. Eligibility renewals officially began again in June, and the MDHHS took the first step to conduct passive renewals for the June cohort, using existing data the state already has. If the MDHHS is able to passively renew a Medicaid beneficiary, a notice of no further action required is sent. However, if a Medicaid beneficiary is not able to be passively renewed, they will receive a renewal packet, which should be filled out, signed and include all requested documentation or proof. The packet should be returned by the designated due date. Those who do not complete and return renewal paperwork on time may lose Medicaid coverage.

The MDHHS has posted an eligibility notification timeline that shares information about the monthly renewal process. Michigan uses a 90-day renewal timeline. The process begins two months before a beneficiary’s renewal date and ends at the close of the renewal month.

The MDHHS is advising individuals and families to return their paperwork even if they do not believe they are eligible because children in a household may qualify for MiChild even if other members of the household are ineligible. Or some members of a family may qualify for one program but not another. These determinations can only be made if the required paperwork is submitted.

The COVID-19 pandemic response allowed more than 3 million Michigan residents to keep their Medicaid coverage without redeterminations on eligibility. Included in that number were 1 million Healthy Michigan enrollees.

More information on the changes to Medicaid benefit eligibility can be found on the MDHHS’s website.