Michigan health officials to host public forums on new Medicaid work rules

Oct. 16--The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services plans to host a series of public forums this month and in November to help people understand the new Medicaid work requirements that take effect Jan. 1.

Starting in 2020, low-income Michiganders ages 19-61 who receive Medicaid benefits under the Healthy Michigan Plan must prove that they are working at least 80 hours each month or that they are trying to find a job, are undergoing job or vocational training, are working in an internship, enrolled in school, undergoing substance abuse treatment, community service or are otherwise exempt.

If they don't, they could lose their health insurance benefits.

The free public forums are planned for the following times, dates and locations:

-- Lansing: 10-11:30 a.m. Oct. 21, 10-11:30 a.m., Lansing Community College -- West Campus, 5708 Cornerstone Drive.

-- Marquette: 10-11:30 a.m. Oct. 22, Upper Peninsula Health Plan, 853 W. Washington St.

-- St. Ignace: 5-6:30 p.m. Oct. 22, St. Ignace Public Library, 110 W. Spruce St.

-- Roscommon: 10-11:30 a.m. Oct. 23, Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center, 104 Conservation Drive.

-- Detroit: 10-11:30 a.m. Oct. 30, Cadillac Place, Conference Room L-150, 3044 W. Grand Blvd.

-- Detroit: 1-2:30 p.m. Oct. 30, Cadillac Place, Conference Room L-150, 3044 W. Grand Blvd.

-- Flint: 1:30 -- 3:30 p.m. Oct. 31, Genesee County Community Action Resource Department (GCCARD), 601 N. Saginaw St.

-- Saginaw: Details to be announced later.

-- Waterford: 1:30-3 p.m. Nov. 4, Oakland Schools Conference Center, 2111 Pontiac Lake Road.

-- Jackson: 10-11:30 a.m. Nov. 5, Center for Family Health, 505 N. Jackson St.

-- Kalamazoo: 2-3:30 p.m. Nov. 5, Family Health Center, 505 E. Alcott St.

-- Grand Rapids: 10-11:30 a.m. Nov. 6, Eberhard Conference Center, Grand Valley State University, 301 W. Fulton St.

-- Muskegon: 2-3:30 p.m. Nov. 6, Stevenson Room, Muskegon Community College, 211 Quarterline Road.

-- Dearborn: Details to be announced later.

To register, go to https://www.michigan.gov/healthymiplan and click on the Changes Coming in 2020 tab.

The Republican-led Legislature passed legislation in 2018 that asked the federal government to allow it to require able-bodied adult Medicaid recipients using the Healthy Michigan Plan to work or risk losing their benefits. The legislation was signed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder, and later approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The requirements could affect about 270,000 of the more than 640,000 Michiganders who get health care through the state's Healthy Michigan Plan, according to the MDHHS. The plan covers those with an income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, which in 2019 is an annual income of $12,490 for individuals or $25,100 for a family of four.

Some people may be excused from the new Medicaid work requirements, including those who are:

-- Pregnant or were pregnant in the last two months

-- Medically frail because of a physical, mental, intellectual or emotional condition or disability that limits daily activities

-- Diagnosed with chronic substance use disorder

-- Living in a nursing home or who receive hospice or home help service

-- Homeless

-- Survivors of domestic violence

-- Full-time students

-- Under age 21 and were in foster care

-- In prison or jail within the last six months

-- Receiving state unemployment benefits

-- The main caretaker of a family member under age 6

-- Getting temporary or permanent disability payments

For a complete list of exemptions and other details about the Medicaid work requirements, go to: https://www.michigan.gov/healthymiplan/

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said she opposes the work requirements, and calls them "the most onerous in the nation."

She signed bi-partisan legislation in September that eases some of the reporting requirements, giving people more time to verify that they comply and exempting people from reporting if the state can verify it through other data. It also adds a grace period for those who miss the reporting deadline.

"While Gov. Whitmer has made it clear that this administration does not support the new law, MDHHS needs to do everything we can to make sure that beneficiaries are aware of these new requirements so they can maintain their health care coverage," said Kate Massey, senior deputy director for MDHHS's Medical Services Administration in a news release.

Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: 313-222-5997 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus.

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