Michigan Medicaid Renewals: A Grand Rapids Guide (MI Bridges)

Michigan Medicaid Renewals in Grand Rapids, MI

If you or your family have Michigan Medicaid or the Healthy Michigan Plan, you usually have to renew your coverage every year to keep it. In Grand Rapids and across Kent County, thousands of people lose coverage each year not because they no longer qualify, but because a renewal packet was missed. This guide explains how renewals work, how to use MI Bridges, and where to get free local help.

The single most important step: make sure your address, phone number, and email are up to date at michigan.gov/MIBridges so you actually receive your renewal notice.

Who needs to renew

Renewals apply if you get health coverage through:

• Michigan Medicaid (including for children and pregnant women)
• The Healthy Michigan Plan (Michigan’s Medicaid expansion for adults)
• MI Child and related programs

Most people must renew once a year. The State of Michigan reviews whether you still qualify, mainly based on your household size and income.

How to know when your renewal is due

Your renewal month is assigned to you — it is not the same for everyone. To find yours:

1. Log in to your account at michigan.gov/MIBridges.
2. Check your renewal month under your benefits.
3. Watch your mail and your MI Bridges inbox for a renewal packet, usually sent the month before it’s due.

If you have not set up a MI Bridges account yet, you can create one online, or get help from a local navigator (see below).

What to do when you get a renewal packet

When your renewal notice arrives:

• Complete it — online through MI Bridges, by mail, by phone, or in person.
• Sign the forms.
• Include any proof requested (for example, recent pay stubs or proof of income).
• Return it by the due date printed on the packet.

If you do not complete and return the renewal, you can lose your Medicaid coverage — even if you still qualify. If that happens, you may be able to reinstate it by responding within a limited window, so act quickly.

Three ways to renew

1. Online (fastest): michigan.gov/MIBridges — apply, renew, report changes, and upload documents 24/7.
2. By phone: the MDHHS Beneficiary Help Line at 1-800-642-3195 (TTY 1-866-501-5656).
3. In person / by mail: your local Kent County MDHHS office, 121 Martin Luther King Jr St SE, Suite 200, Grand Rapids — (616) 248-1000.

For technical help with a MI Bridges account (passwords, uploads), call the MI Bridges Help Desk at 1-844-799-9876.

Free local help in Grand Rapids

You don’t have to do this alone. In Kent County, trained navigators and enrollment specialists can help you apply, renew, or understand a notice — often for free:

• Cherry Health and other community health centers have enrollment specialists who can help you apply or renew while connecting you to care.
• Hospital financial counselors at Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, and University of Michigan Health-West can help patients understand coverage and apply for assistance.
• Statewide, MDHHS can be reached at 1-844-464-3447 for general questions.

If you no longer qualify for Medicaid

If your income has changed and you no longer qualify, you may still have options:

• You may be eligible for a low-cost plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace (HealthCare.gov). Losing Medicaid usually opens a Special Enrollment Period.
• Cherry Health and Exalta Health offer sliding-scale care for people who are uninsured or underinsured in Grand Rapids.
• The Kent County Health Department can connect you to local programs and services.

Don’t go without care while you sort out coverage — local safety-net clinics can see you in the meantime.

This guide is general information, not legal or benefits advice. Program rules can change — confirm current details at michigan.gov/MIBridges or with the MDHHS Beneficiary Help Line.