Michigan residents who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace will get some help navigating federal-level changes that affect eligibility. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed the state’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) to help residents understand their options, sign up, or stay enrolled in marketplace plans.
Whitmer issued the order on Aug. 8 in response to federal changes to Medicaid and ACA marketplace programs that occurred this summer.
“Republicans in Washington, D.C., passed legislation that will raise the cost of health insurance by thousands of dollars per year,” Whitmer said in her executive order. “While I can’t control healthcare policy at the national level, I’m doing what I can to ease the burden on Michigan families.”
Whitmer’s statement refers to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), a federal budget bill that significantly decreased healthcare spending. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that, as a result of the OBBBA, 11.8 million people will lose access to health insurance in the next 10 years.
“Just a few weeks before [the passage of OBBBA], the Trump Administration finalized changes to the Marketplace that will cause people in Michigan to lose their coverage as early as next year (CMS Rule),” Whitmer wrote, referring to a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule that decreased eligibility in the ACA Marketplace.
“These policy changes are designed to make it harder for people to get and keep their health insurance, even when they are eligible,” said Whitmer.
Like other U.S. states, Michigan will have to implement the new law and comply with new eligibility requirements.
The executive order directs Michigan’s DIFS to increase awareness and educate Michigan residents about complying with new federal healthcare requirements and navigating changes to open enrollment. The DIFS has also been instructed to connect people with enrollment resources.
“We are proud that Michigan currently has the lowest uninsured rate in history, but new federal changes will raise out-of-pocket costs and make it more difficult to apply for and stay enrolled in health insurance, jeopardizing Michiganders’ health,” said Anita Fox, the director of Michigan’s DIFS.
All other state departments and agencies are to cooperate with DIFS as needed, per the order.
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