Michigan Medicaid 2026: Who Qualifies and How to Apply

Updated Nov 13, 202614 official sources

Quick Answer: Michigan Medicaid is run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

Full answer and how we checked it

Adults 19 to 64 qualify through the Healthy Michigan Plan (HMP), Michigan's expansion program, with income at or below 133% of poverty, about $1,835 a month for one person once the standard 5% disregard is added at the 2026 guideline. Children qualify through U-19 Medicaid and MIChild, and pregnant women, older adults and people with disabilities have their own programs. Apply at MI Bridges (opens in a new tab), by phone at 1-855-789-5610, at a county MDHHS office or on paper. MDHHS says processing can take up to 45 days. HMP work requirements reach applicants on January 1, 2027 and current members at renewals from March 1, 2027.

This guide is for: Michigan adults and families who need health coverage now, Healthy Michigan Plan members who got a letter about 2027 work rules, and anyone helping a parent or partner sign up through MI Bridges.

Data note: Grantsights checked MDHHS's Healthy Michigan Plan page (opens in a new tab), HMP work requirements page (opens in a new tab) (updated November 6, 2026), Upcoming Federal Medicaid Changes page (opens in a new tab) (updated May 21, 2026), Health Care Programs Eligibility page (opens in a new tab), Apply for Health Care Assistance page (opens in a new tab), Beneficiary Support page (opens in a new tab), Medicaid Health Plans page (opens in a new tab), the RFT 246 poverty level table (opens in a new tab) and the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines (opens in a new tab) on November 13, 2026. Michigan.gov pages refused automated fetching, so Grantsights read them in a browser; the HMP copay table and county plan listing are PDFs that couldn't be read, so this guide doesn't quote copay amounts or plan names. Call 1-800-642-3195 to confirm either.

In this guide

Michigan Medicaid at a Glance (November 2026)
Who Qualifies for the Healthy Michigan Plan and Other Michigan Medicaid
What the Healthy Michigan Plan Covers
How to Apply for Michigan Medicaid, Step by Step
Retroactive Coverage Shrinks on January 1, 2027
Six-Month Renewals and HMP Work Requirements in 2027
What MDHHS Doesn't Tell You
Common Mistakes and Red Flags
Other Help in Michigan
FAQ: Michigan Medicaid
Sources

Healthy Michigan Plan coverage is public health insurance, not a grant, and MDHHS never charges to apply. For the full chart by household size, see our Michigan Medicaid income limits guide.

Michigan Medicaid at a Glance (November 2026)

MDHHS's eligibility page describes 22 health care programs, from U-19 Medicaid to PACE, and a single MI Bridges application covers most of them. These were the main routes on November 13, 2026:

Item	Michigan's rule
Agency and program	Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; adults 19 to 64 are covered through the Healthy Michigan Plan
Expansion status	Expanded, under the Affordable Care Act and Michigan Public Act 107 of 2013
Adults 19 to 64 (HMP)	Income at or below 133% of poverty under MAGI rules (138% with the 5% disregard), no Medicare, not eligible for another Medicaid group, not pregnant at application
Children	U-19 Medicaid (160% of poverty for ages 1 to 19, 195% under age 1) and MIChild for uninsured children up to 212%, per RFT 246
Pregnancy	Pregnant Women Medicaid up to 195%; Group 2 Pregnant Women with a deductible above that; MOMS for women on emergency-only Medicaid
Seniors and disability	AD-Care for aged, blind or disabled people (income and asset tests), SSI-linked Medicaid, MI Choice home care waiver, PACE and Medicare Savings Programs
Income numbers	Every household size is in our Michigan Medicaid income limits guide
How to apply	MI Bridges (opens in a new tab) online; Michigan Health Care Helpline 1-855-789-5610; a local MDHHS county office; or the DCH-1426 paper form
Decision time	Up to 45 days, per MDHHS; federal rules allow 90 days for disability-based applications
Cost to members	HMP members pay copays at the doctor, pharmacy or other provider when one is due

One number from the table is worth working out. Grantsights analysis of the 2026 HHS poverty guideline ($15,960 a year for one person) and RFT 246's 133% HMP line puts the printed limit at about $1,769 a month; adding the federal 5% disregard lifts it to about $1,835 a month for one adult and $3,142 for a household of three.

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Who Qualifies for the Healthy Michigan Plan and Other Michigan Medicaid

According to the MDHHS Healthy Michigan Plan program page, you're eligible for HMP if you meet 6 conditions: you're 19 to 64; your income is at or below 133% of poverty; you don't qualify for or aren't enrolled in Medicare; you don't qualify for or aren't enrolled in another Medicaid program; you aren't pregnant when you apply; and you live in Michigan. A seventh, meeting work requirements, starts January 1, 2027.

Other Michigan routes cover people HMP doesn't:

Children under 19: U-19 Medicaid has an income test only and no premium. MIChild has a higher limit, also with no asset test, and children must enroll in a MIChild health and dental plan.
Under 21 Medicaid: has income and asset tests; people over the limit can still qualify by meeting a deductible with medical bills.
Parents and caretaker relatives: Medicaid with income and asset tests, plus Low Income Families coverage and up to 12 months of Transitional Medical Assistance when a job raises income.
Pregnant women: full Medicaid at the 195% line, Group 2 above it with a deductible.
Aged, blind or disabled adults: AD-Care, Disabled Adult Children coverage and automatic Medicaid for most SSI recipients.
Family planning only: Plan First covers contraception and reproductive health for people of any age or gender up to 195% of poverty.

Immigration status changed on October 1, 2026. MDHHS's federal changes page says full coverage continues for lawful permanent residents who've met or are exempt from the 5-year bar, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Compact of Free Association migrants, and most lawfully residing pregnant women and children under 21. People with other statuses move to Emergency Services Only coverage, which pays for emergency treatment but not routine or preventive care.

For a state-by-state comparison, see the national Medicaid income limits guide.

What the Healthy Michigan Plan Covers

The MDHHS Healthy Michigan Plan program page lists 10 kinds of services: outpatient (ambulatory) care, emergency services, hospital stays, maternity care, mental health and substance use treatment, prescription drugs, rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, lab work, preventive and chronic disease care, and oral and vision care for 19 and 20 year olds. HMP also covers other medically necessary services, and the Healthy Michigan Plan Handbook has the detail.

Adult dental: MDHHS expanded adult Medicaid dental on April 1, 2023, per the MDHHS dental redesign announcement. Adults 21 and older kept X-rays, cleanings, fillings, extractions and dentures, and gained deep cleanings, root canals, crowns and gum care. Adults enrolled in a Medicaid health plan get dental through that plan's network, so check which dentists your plan uses before booking.

Health plans: most Michigan Medicaid and HMP members enroll in a Medicaid health plan, and which plans you can pick depends on your county. MDHHS posts a county service listing on its Medicaid Health Plans page (opens in a new tab). To enroll, check your plan or ask for a new mihealth card, call Michigan Enrolls at 1-800-975-7630 (the number on MDHHS's Beneficiary Support page). Your current plan and providers also show in myHealthPortal and the myHealthButton app.

Copays: the HMP page says members pay copays to the doctor's office, pharmacy or other provider "if one is due," and links an MDHHS copay table. Amounts depend on the service, and Grantsights couldn't read the table on November 13, 2026, so ask your health plan or the Beneficiary Help Line (1-800-642-3195) before a visit if cost is a worry.

How to Apply for Michigan Medicaid, Step by Step

Per the MDHHS apply and support pages, there are 4 routes in, and every one ends at the same county caseworker. Here's what works for most households in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing or the Upper Peninsula.

Step 1: Have your information ready

MDHHS's apply page says your age, income, financial resources and other information decide which program fits, so have each household member's name, birth date and Social Security number (if they have one), income from jobs and self-employment, tax filing status, any current health insurance, and immigration documents for non-citizens who want coverage ready before you start. Starting January 1, 2027, the application also asks HMP applicants about work, school, volunteering or exemptions.

Step 2: Choose a way to apply

Method	Details from MDHHS
Online	MI Bridges (opens in a new tab): apply, check status, upload documents, report changes and renew
Phone	Michigan Health Care Helpline, 1-855-789-5610 (TTY 1-866-501-5656)
In person	Your local MDHHS county office
Paper	DCH-1426, Application for Health Coverage and Help Paying Costs, from the MDHHS apply page (opens in a new tab); the old Plan First and Healthy Kids/MIChild forms are no longer accepted

Children's Special Health Care Services and the MI Choice waiver have their own intake; MDHHS's eligibility page sends MI Choice applicants to their local waiver agency.

Step 3: Answer MDHHS's letters

MDHHS contacts you through the communication preference you picked in MI Bridges, or by mail if you didn't choose one. If a letter asks for proof, send it by the due date; MDHHS's work requirements page says "missing a deadline could put your coverage at risk."

Step 4: Get your decision and pick a health plan

According to the MDHHS work requirements page, application processing "can take up to 45 days," and your approval notice may arrive after your coverage start date. Federal rules in 42 CFR 435.912 (opens in a new tab) allow up to 90 days when eligibility depends on a disability. Once approved, choose a health plan through Michigan Enrolls or one is assigned.

For example, one applicant in Flint, a 29-year-old home health aide living alone and earning $1,700 a month before taxes, is under the roughly $1,835 HMP line for one person. She'd qualify for the Healthy Michigan Plan, choose a health plan serving Genesee County and pay small copays where they apply. If she applied in February 2027, her January paycheck alone would show at least $580 in earnings, which meets the work rule for the month before she applied (an illustration built from MDHHS's rules, not a real case).

Retroactive Coverage Shrinks on January 1, 2027

Michigan Medicaid can still cover care from up to 3 months before you apply, if you qualified during those months. The MDHHS federal changes page says that from January 1, 2027, Healthy Michigan Plan members may get coverage for up to 1 month before applying and other Medicaid groups up to 2 months. That's the change made by section 71112 of Public Law 119-21.

MDHHS warns that people who get care before applying "may have to pay more of those bills themselves." Your best bet, if a Michigan adult in your household had an ER visit or hospital stay in September, October or November 2026 and has no coverage, is to apply in December 2026 rather than waiting for the new year.

Six-Month Renewals and HMP Work Requirements in 2027

Two federal changes hit Healthy Michigan Plan members in 2027, and the MDHHS federal changes page lists both with a January 1, 2027 start.

Renewals every 6 months

MDHHS says the state "will need to check eligibility every six months instead of annually" for people on HMP. Expect more requests to confirm income or household size, and keep your MI Bridges contact details current. CMS's April 2026 slides on section 71107 (opens in a new tab) describe the federal rule behind the change.

Work requirements: the Michigan details

According to MDHHS's HMP work requirements page (opens in a new tab), updated November 6, 2026, the rule applies only to HMP members 19 to 64. It follows the federal interim final rule published June 3, 2026 (opens in a new tab), which MDHHS says it's still reviewing.

Start dates: applications from January 1, 2027 include the questions; current members face the rule at renewal dates on or after March 1, 2027.
How to meet it: earn at least $580 in at least one month of the review period, or complete 80 hours in one month of paid or unpaid work, an internship or work program, volunteering or community service, high school or GED classes, or college or vocational school. You can combine activities.
Review period for applicants: the month before you apply or the month you apply. Meeting it the month before can start coverage that month; meeting it in the application month starts coverage the next month.
Review period for members: at least one month since your last renewal (or since coverage began, at your first renewal). You don't have to prove every month.
Seasonal workers: can use average monthly income over the last 12 months.
Exemptions: people subject to food assistance work rules or meeting cash assistance work rules; pregnancy or birth in the past 12 months; parents or caregivers of a child 13 or under; caregivers of a person with a disability; American Indians and Alaska Natives; people in foster care at 18 and now under 26; disabled veterans; people in substance use treatment or living with a substance use disorder; people in jail or prison now or in the past 3 months; the medically frail; and people with a disabling physical, intellectual, developmental or mental health condition or a serious condition needing regular treatment.
Temporary hardship: a stay in a hospital, nursing facility or psychiatric hospital, travel for care not available locally, living in a federally declared disaster area, or living in a high-unemployment area.
Checking: MDHHS says it'll try to renew you automatically using data it already has, and will write only if it can't verify work or an exemption.

Two details only show up in MDHHS's FAQ. First, a "recent U.S. District Court ruling" lets states widen the medically frail definition, and MDHHS says it's reviewing its criteria and code list. Second, an adult who loses HMP only for not meeting the work rule can't get Marketplace premium tax credits, because the federal government still counts that person as eligible for Medicaid.

What MDHHS Doesn't Tell You

MDHHS's pages are detailed, but 6 points are easy to miss:

Michigan's test is one month, not several. A Kalamazoo line cook who hits $580 in a single month between renewals passes, which is lighter than states asking for 3 months.
Applying earlier in the month can cost you a month. If you met the rule last month, coverage can start this month; if you only meet it this month, coverage starts next month.
Food assistance work rules double as an HMP exemption. MDHHS checks this automatically, so a person already meeting Food Assistance Program work rules won't report twice.
Losing HMP over work hours blocks Marketplace subsidies. There's no fallback discount on HealthCare.gov for that specific closure.
Several MDHHS pages lag. The eligibility page still describes pregnancy coverage ending two calendar months after the pregnancy, while the HMP work page treats anyone who gave birth in the past 12 months as exempt; ask your caseworker which postpartum period applies to you.
Old forms get rejected. MDHHS says the Plan First application (MSA-1582) and the Healthy Kids/MIChild application (DCH-0373) are obsolete, so a relative's leftover paper form won't work; use the DCH-1426 or MI Bridges.

Common Mistakes and Red Flags

With HMP renewals moving to every 6 months, a common mistake is ignoring a MI Bridges message because you were expecting paper mail. MDHHS sends notices by whichever preference you set in MI Bridges, and if you picked email or the portal, a renewal request may never arrive in your mailbox. Log in after any change and use "Report My Changes" for a new address, job or household member.

Other mistakes Michigan families make:

Not reporting income changes. A raise can move an adult from HMP to another program or off Medicaid, and a drop can make a child eligible for U-19 instead of MIChild.
Underestimating the exemptions. A parent of a child 13 or under, or a caregiver for a disabled relative, doesn't log hours, but MDHHS may still ask for proof.
Applying for the wrong program. A pregnant applicant isn't placed in HMP; she should answer the pregnancy question so MDHHS screens her for Pregnant Women Medicaid.
Skipping the appeal. MDHHS notices include hearing instructions; if you disagree with an exemption or closure decision, follow the deadline printed on the notice.

Red flags: MDHHS says CMS sent some HMP members up to 4 emails and 3 texts about the work rule between July 1 and August 31, and that real CMS messages come only from no-reply@info.medicaid.gov or text short code 633767 (sender MEDSMS). Avoid any other text, call or site asking for a fee, a gift card or your MI Bridges password to "keep" Medicaid.

Other Help in Michigan

Health coverage is one piece. Michigan's Food Assistance Program pays up to $562 a month for a household of two from October 1, 2026, and many Healthy Michigan Plan households qualify for it and for rent help:

Food: our Michigan food stamps guide has the Food Assistance Program income chart, and the Michigan SNAP benefits guide covers applying through the same MI Bridges account.
Pregnancy and young children: the WIC income limits guide covers nutrition help through age 5.
Rent: our rental assistance programs guide lists emergency housing help.

Want to see what else a Michigan household might get? The Grantsights eligibility checker lists official programs for your state at no cost, though only MDHHS can approve Medicaid.

FAQ: Michigan Medicaid

How do I apply for Medicaid in Michigan?

On MI Bridges, by calling 1-855-789-5610, at your county MDHHS office, or with the paper DCH-1426 form.

Who qualifies for the Healthy Michigan Plan?

Michigan residents 19 to 64 at or under 133% of poverty (about $1,835 a month for one with the disregard) who aren't on Medicare, pregnant or eligible for other Medicaid.

When do Healthy Michigan Plan work requirements start?

For applicants on January 1, 2027, and for current members at renewals dated March 1, 2027 or later.

How long does a Michigan Medicaid application take?

Up to 45 days according to MDHHS, and up to 90 days when disability is the basis.

Does Michigan Medicaid cover old medical bills?

Up to 3 months back for now; from January 1, 2027, 1 month for HMP and 2 months for other groups.

Does Michigan Medicaid cover dental for adults?

Yes, including root canals, crowns and dentures, through your health plan's dental network since April 1, 2023.

What is the Michigan Medicaid help line number?

Beneficiary Help Line 1-800-642-3195; Health Care Helpline 1-855-789-5610 for applying; Michigan Enrolls 1-800-975-7630.

Sources

MDHHS: Healthy Michigan Plan (opens in a new tab), checked November 13, 2026
MDHHS: New Healthy Michigan Plan Work Requirements (opens in a new tab), updated November 6, 2026
MDHHS: Upcoming Federal Medicaid Changes (opens in a new tab), updated May 21, 2026
MDHHS: Health Care Programs Eligibility (opens in a new tab), checked November 13, 2026
MDHHS: Apply for Health Care Assistance (opens in a new tab), checked November 13, 2026
MDHHS: Beneficiary Support contacts (opens in a new tab), checked November 13, 2026
MDHHS: Medicaid Health Plans (opens in a new tab), checked November 13, 2026
MDHHS: Medicaid dental redesign, April 3, 2023 (opens in a new tab)
MDHHS Reference Tables: RFT 246, MA poverty levels (opens in a new tab)
HHS ASPE: 2026 poverty guidelines (opens in a new tab)
CMS: section 71107 renewal slides (opens in a new tab)
Federal Register: community engagement interim rule (opens in a new tab)
eCFR: 42 CFR 435.912 (opens in a new tab)

Last updated November 13, 2026. Published by Grantsights from public sources. See our editorial policy, how we build and check guides, corrections and how we make money.