Local health agencies warn about Medicaid renewal notices; thousands might lose coverage

Health departments in Metro Detroit are partnering with community groups and health care systems to warn residents about the upcoming loss of Medicaid health coverage and ways they can help renew it now that a pandemic-era safety program has ended.

Michigan is expected to lose 200,000 or more enrollees after a year-long re-evaluation period because of the April 1 end of the continuous enrollment period, a COVID-19 safety net for anyone enrolled in the federal and state health insurance program. Oakland County officials on Wednesday alerted residents about the Medicaid renewal process, which is returning for the first time since the pandemic began.

Monthly renewals for traditional Medicaid and the expanded program under the Affordable Care Act known as the Healthy Michigan Plan are set to begin in June and continue through May 2024, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Monthly renewal notices will be sent three months prior to the beneficiaries’ renewal dates.

Around 90,000 Michiganians in Oakland County have enrolled in Medicaid since the program's expansion with the Affordable Care Act in 2014, county Executive Dave Coulter said at a Wednesday news conference. Fifteen thousand residents enrolled in Oakland during the COVID-19 pandemic when the federal government paused the eligibility review process for Medicaid, Coulter said.

"There was continuous coverage for Medicaid benefits that started Jan. 1, 2020, and lasted throughout the pandemic so that you didn't have to go through these annual review processes," Coulter said at the news conference. "Now we're back to the previous ways it used to be before COVID, which requires states, including the State of Michigan and Oakland County, to reinstate those annual audits."

The passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in 2020 began a continuous period when people could enroll in the joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for people with low to moderate incomes. States also had to maintain the enrollment of almost all Medicaid recipients during the COVID-19 public health emergency and couldn't check the income of enrollees for eligibility.

"Medicaid has played an enormous role in increasing access to primary care, lowering medical care costs, as well as improving overall health for those that are in need," said David Bowman, director of community health at Trinity Health Oakland.

But since the federal law lapsed, states reclaimed the ability to end Medicaid enrollment for ineligible recipients. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services mailed 133,746 letters in March to individuals undergoing renewals in June and 154,315 letters in April for those facing renewals in July, department spokesman Bob Wheaton said in a Wednesday email. Medicaid recipients must respond to renew their coverage.

Oakland County needs to determine if the 15,000 residents added during COVID are still eligible and doesn't want any residents to lose coverage, Coulter said. People may lose Medicaid coverage if they do not complete the renewal process properly, Deputy Oakland County Executive Madiha Tariq said at the news conference.

"A loss in Medicaid coverage will result in individuals delaying care or even avoiding care altogether," Bowman said.

The Macomb County Health Department predicts that the Medicaid renewal will affect approximately 95,000 residents, roughly 16,000 of whom were added during the pandemic. More than 221,600 Wayne County residents were enrolled in the Healthy Michigan Plan as of February, according to state data.

Recipients' information is stored in the MI Bridges system, and they all should update their addresses and contact information so they can receive enrollment information and make changes to their households and changes in income immediately, Tariq said.

Other options exist if the state finds individuals are now deemed ineligible for Medicaid, she added. Residents who lose Medicaid coverage can sign up for a different plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace online, a federally operated site where people can purchase and compare plans, Tariq said.

The Macomb County Health Department is also working to connect people to resources that can help during the renewal process, Director Andrew Cox said in a statement. Resources and information on how to apply for health care coverage can be found on the health department's website, Cox said.

Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit has locations in West Bloomfield and Oak Park where multi-lingual navigators can assist people throughout the process, supervisor Olga Semenova said at the news conference.

"We can help with going into MI Bridges updating your information. We can help with a redetermination. We can help with an appeal," Semenova said. "We can help as an advocate for you."

The state may contact recipients via the mail or text message, Tariq said. If recipients get a renewal packet in the mail, it should be filled out as soon as possible.

Another community health center, Honor Community Health in Pontiac, opened a resource center two months ago where patients and community members can receive one on one assistance with updating their information in MI Bridge from Monday to Friday, Honor Community Health CEO Deb Brinson said at the news conference.

"Whether your insurance is through an employer through MI Bridges or through the marketplace, loss of coverage can be devastating for you as an individual and for us as a community," Brinson said.

hmackay@detroitnews.com