The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is taking advantage of new federal flexibilities to preserve Medicaid eligibility for residents who must complete renewal forms by the end of June.
The department said residents who received renewal packets with a deadline of June 30 should still return those forms by that date, but it will not disqualify anyone from coverage for not returning the paperwork until the end of July, according to a June 22 department news release.
The department is implementing the change only for beneficiaries up for renewal in June, but is reviewing and adopting additional strategies authorized by the federal government for outreach to beneficiaries to preserve their Medicaid coverage, according to the release.
Michigan's Medicaid renewals are staggered to take place monthly starting in June and running through May 2024. The department is sending monthly renewal notices three months before a beneficiary's renewal date.
More than 1.5 million people have been disenrolled in 25 states and Washington, D.C., as of June 22, according to KFF. Seventy-three percent of those who have been disenrolled nationwide have had their coverage terminated for procedural reasons.