LANSING – The Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced approval of Michigan’s amended Healthy Michigan Waiver, providing continued health insurance coverage for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders for five more years.

Nearly 663,000 Michiganders currently receive coverage through Healthy Michigan Plan. The existing federal waiver was set to expire at the end of this year. The newly approved waiver will continue the program for another five years, beginning Jan. 1, 2019, and lasting through Dec. 31, 2023.

Changes to the waiver go into effect in 2020 and include an increase in cost-sharing and a continued commitment to healthy behaviors. Public Act 208 of 2018, the law that enables the existence of the Healthy Michigan Plan, created community engagement requirements that closely mirror current cash and food assistance program work requirements.

Over the past few months, the State Medicaid Office worked diligently with Michigan’s partners at CMS to secure health insurance coverage for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders in record time.

“I’m thrilled to support Governor Snyder and his commitment to helping Michigan adults on Medicaid achieve better health and independence through work and community engagement,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “This renewal and amendment of the Healthy Michigan Plan will also support a comprehensive effort to improve outcomes through their enhanced healthy behavior incentives, and I expect this program may serve as another model for states looking to tackle the drivers of poor health.”

The Healthy Michigan Plan launched April 1, 2014, to extend health care benefits to eligible residents up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. A second waiver with a focus on encouraging beneficiaries to adopt healthy behaviors was approved by the federal government in 2015.

For more information about the Healthy Michigan Plan, visit the Healthy Michigan Plan website.