Medicare/Medicaid Open Enrollment is Open Through December 7

Health care is on everybody's mind these days. It's especially so if you're on Medicare or Medicaid. Even more so now that it's open enrollment time.

Every year, Medicare’s open enrollment period is October 15 through December 7. Choosing or changing a Medicare plan can sometimes be confusing. That’s why the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reminding eligible residents about the open enrollment period for a new option called MI Health Link. MI Health Link is a program that links both Medicare and Medicaid services through your choice of a single health plan. That single health plan then provides access to all covered care and services.

MI Health Link is for individuals who are eligible for both full Medicare and full Medicaid, are 21 or older, and who live in one of the demonstration counties. Coordination of care through MI Health Link is currently available in the counties of Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, Macomb, St. Joseph, Van Buren, Wayne, and all counties in the Upper Peninsula.

Enrolling in MI Health Link eliminates the complication of navigating between Medicare and Medicaid for services. The MI Health Link health plans cover all the healthcare services including dental and transportation, and scheduling of appointments. All enrollees also have a MI Health Link care coordinator to actively help them and ensure that their healthcare needs are met.

You're going to need some help understanding your options for Medicare and Medicaid, including MI Health Link, so counseling is available from Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP) at 1-800-803-7174.

To join a MI Health Link health plan, call Michigan ENROLLS – 1-800-975-7630 (TTY number 1-888-263-5897). Michigan ENROLLS coordinates all enrollments and health plan changes for MI Health Link.

For more information about MI Health Link, visit www.michigan.gov/mihealthlink.