Michigan Medicaid Income Limits – 2021

The Medicaid Income Limit is the most important criteria for deciding whether you qualify for Medicaid in your state. In this post, we are going to explain in detail the Michigan Medicaid Income Limits for 2021. In Michigan, Medicaid is also called Medical Assistance or MA.

Based on this information, you will be able to determine whether your income qualifies you for Michigan Medicaid or not.

However, before we get into details about the income limit, we will first explain the Medicaid program in Michigan and how it works.

Next, we will discuss who is eligible for Medicaid, including how eligibility works for various categories, including Children, Pregnant Women, and Adults.

What is Medicaid?

Medicaid is a federal and state health insurance program for people with a low income.

It provides free or low-cost health coverage to millions of Americans, including families and children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) offers health coverage to children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but who can’t afford private coverage.

How Many People are on Medicaid?

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as of November 2020, here are the number of people enrolled in Medicaid and Chip in the entire United States:

• 78,521,263 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP
• 72,204,587 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid
• 6,695,834 individuals were enrolled in CHIP

Michigan Medicaid

The Massachusetts Medicaid program provides medical coverage to low-income individuals and families.

As of 2020, the program, along with the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covered 2.5 million people.

This includes 1 million children as shown by the image below.

In Michigan, the Medicaid program is run by the Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

Who Can Get Medicaid in Michigan?

You should apply for Medicaid if your income is low and you match one of the descriptions below:

• You think you are pregnant
• The parent or caretaker of a child and/or teenager under the age of 19.
• You are a child or teenager age 18 or under.
• An adult age 65 or older.
• You are legally blind.
• Living with a disability or disabled.
• You are in need of nursing home care.

Michigan Medicaid Income Limit

The Michigan Medicaid Income Limit is calculated as a percentage of the Federal Poverty Line.

To qualify, you must meet the Michigan Medicaid Income limits listed below.

Here is the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for 2021.

Additionally, to be eligible for Medicaid, you cannot make more than the income guidelines outlined below:

• Children up to age 1 with family income up to 212 percent of FPL
• Any child age 1-5 with a family income up to 212 percent of FPL
• Children ages 6- 18 with family income up to 212 percent of FPL
• CHIP for children with family income up to 212 percent of FPL
• Pregnant women with family income up to 195 percent of FPL
• Parents of minor children with family income up to 54 percent of FPL
• Individuals who are elderly, blind, and disabled with family income up to 100% of the FPL
• Adults without dependents under Medicaid expansion with income up to 133% of the FPL

Michigan Medicaid Income Limit Charts

The Michigan Medicaid eligibility income limit charts are divided by groups.

For example, the first chart is focused on income limits for children who qualify for Medicaid.

Similarly, the second chart below focuses on the Medicaid income limits for adults in Michigan who qualify for Medicaid.

Michigan Medicaid Income Limit for Children 

Below is the income limit for children by age category. Find the age category your child falls into and you will see the income limit by household size.

Next is the income limit for adults by category. Find the category you fall into and you will see the income limit by household size.

Michigan has expanded Medicaid to include adults without dependents.

Therefore, adults without dependents can apply for Medicaid in Michigan.

For an update on the Medicaid expansion debate and timeline in Michigan, see our Michigan Expansion update below.

Michigan Medicaid Income Limit for Adults

How to Read the Michigan Medicaid Income Limits Charts Above

You cannot have an income higher than the Federal Poverty Level percentage described for your group to be eligible for Medicaid.

Similarly, when you identify the income group that applies to you, the income limit you see refers to the maximum level of income you can earn to qualify for benefits.

For example, if you are pregnant, to qualify for Medicaid, you cannot have an income higher than 195% of the Federal Poverty Level – which for a family of two is $33,969 as shown in the chart above.

How to Apply for Michigan Medicaid

There are 3 ways you can apply for Medicaid in Michigan.

Option 1 – Apply online

You can apply online through the MI Bridges Portal – as shown in the image below.

If you have an account, you can log in or create your MI Bridges Account. Click here to be taken to the website.

The video below, by the Michigan HHS does a great job of explaining how to apply online for benefits with MI Bridges.

We highly recommend you watch it if you are applying online for Michigan Medicaid.

Option 2 – Apply at MDHHS Office Near You

You can apply in person at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) office near you. Click here to locate an MDHHS office.

Option 3 – Apply by Phone

Call the Michigan Health Care Helpline at 1-855-789-5610 and have an application mailed to you.

Once you complete the application, you can mail it to:

Health Insurance Affordability Program
Michigan Department of Community Health
P.O. Box 30273
Lansing, MI 48909.

Michigan Medicaid Phone Number

Here’s how to contact the Michigan Medicaid Agency:

MI ENROLLS: 1-800-975-7630
Beneficiary Help Line: 1-800-642-3195
mihealth cards: 1-800-642-3195
MIChild: 1-888-988-6300

Speech / Hearing impaired TTY
1-888-263-5897

Call center hours
Monday — Friday
8:00 am — 7:00 pm (ET)

Michigan Medicaid Expansion Update

Michigan expanded Medicaid as of April 2014. The expanded Medicaid program is called Healthy Michigan.

Nearly 750,000 Michiganders are enrolled in expanded Medicaid as of mid-2020, up from about 650,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

In addition, work requirement for Medicaid took effect as of January 2020, but a judge overturned it in March 2020.

University of Michigan researchers reported that the expansion of Medicaid in Michigan resulted in about 30,000 new jobs.

Furthermore, it resulted in a $2.3 billion increase in personal income in the state in 2016.

Michigan Medicaid Income Limits Summary

We hope this post on Michigan Medicaid Income Limits was helpful to you.

If you have any questions about Medicaid in the state of Michigan, you can ask us in the comments section below.

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Be sure to check out our other articles about Medicaid.
Income limits for Florida Medicaid
Alabama Medicaid Income Limits and How to Apply
Alaska Medicaid Income Limits and Chart
MinnesotaCare Income Limits Charts
Medicaid Myths vs. Facts