Michigan Department of Human Services and Michigan Department of Community Health

MI Bridges Update

Last updated: 03/27/14

MI Bridges Update Webinar 2

Housekeeping

• All phone lines will be muted.

• For technical assistance during the webinar, please type a question in the chat box.

• We will do our best to answer as many questions as we can.

• We will send a frequently asked question document out to participants.

• The webinar is being recorded.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 3

• Healthy Michigan Plan Basics

• MI Bridges Changes

• Walkthrough of New Screenshots

• MI Bridges Tips

• Question and Answers

Agenda

MI Bridges Update Webinar 4

• Affordable Care Act

• Public Act 107 of 2013 was signed into law by Governor Snyder September 16, 2013.

• Authorizes the Healthy Michigan Plan.

• State law requires certain cost-sharing requirements (co-pays and contributions).

• Requires a waiver amendment to the Adult Benefits Waiver to implement.

Federal Law and State Law

MI Bridges Update Webinar 5

Enrollment

• Enrollment for Healthy Michigan Plan begins April 1, 2014.

• Estimated 320,000 who are currently uninsured will now be eligible.

• People can apply:

• Online via MI Bridges, OR

• By phone (# to be announced), OR

• In person at a MI Bridges Navigation Partner, Certified Application Counselor or federally funded Navigator or local DHS office

MI Bridges Update Webinar 6

• Covers people ages 19-64

• Not receiving or eligible for Medicare

• Not eligible for current Medicaid program

• Not pregnant at the time of application

• Covers up to 133% of the federal poverty level (5% disregard = 138%)

• No asset test

• Must meet other federal requirements

Federal Eligibility Parameters

MI Bridges Update Webinar 7

New websites – www.michigan.gov/healthymichiganplan

New email address: healthymichiganplan@michigan.gov

Will continue to post information as it becomes available.

Federal Eligibility Parameters

MI Bridges Update Webinar 8

MI Bridges Changes

MI Bridges Update Webinar 9

MI Bridges provides citizens the ability to apply for Health Coverage / Medical Assistance online and receive immediate eligibility results.

MI Bridges – ACA Changes Release 2

Release Functionality Expansion Theme

2 Apply for Health Care Coverage Only

Expand existing internet functionality to include a streamlined application for Health Care Coverage Only.

Apply for Health Care Coverage and Other Benefits

Expand existing functionality to include one location for citizens to apply for multiple programs.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 10

MI Bridges Home Page

Clients may click here if they are only planning on applying for healthcare.

Clients may click here to apply for healthcare, food assistance, cash assistance, child care, and emergency services.

Clients who already have an account and have an open case may click here to view their benefits, report changes, upload documents, and check the status of an application.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 11

Clicking Apply for Other Benefits displays this page. Clients may select the first radio button to create a new account and then complete the online application.

Starting a Multi-Benefit Application

Notice the other selections. Clients may choose to keep working on an application they started earlier or check the status of an application.

Note: Apply for Other Benefits starts a multi-benefit application. If a client is only interested in health coverage, they should click Apply for Health Coverage Only.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 12

Starting a Healthcare Only Application

If you click Apply for Health Care Coverage Only, this page will appear.

Please note: This page appeared prior to the ACA changes if a client was applying for healthcare. This page no longer exists, as the ACA has streamlined the application.

New

Before ACA

Now

MI Bridges Update Webinar 13

Tax Questions

With the Affordable Care Act changes, clients will be asked to provide tax information.

New

Note: Many households have joint tax filers. If this is the case, follow the instructions on the application. For the purposes of a MI Bridges application, the primary tax filer is the person listed first on the federal tax form.

Note: These questions display on the first page of the Basic Information section.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 14

Tax Questions (Cont.)

On the People page, clients will be required to identify the relationships between household members. This will require the client to establish a tax relationship as well.

New

For couples who indicate they are married, an additional tax question about joint tax filing will appear.

Note: The information in red is provided to help clarify the question and provide further assistance.

Chris

Chris Chris

Chris

Chris

Chris

Chris

Chris

MI Bridges Update Webinar 15

Various Choices for Saving and Exiting

Notice the choices for the client when they need to step away from the application process.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 16

When a client elects to complete a multi-benefit application by clicking “Apply for Other Benefits”, the healthcare portion will be queued up first. Once the healthcare portion is completed, the screen below appears and clients have three options.

Multi-Benefit Application Exiting Options

IMPORTANT: To ensure that clients are submitting a full application, strongly encourage them to continue working on the application. This will speed up the processing of all other programs.

New

Best Option

MI Bridges Update Webinar 17

Once submitted, clients will be offered the option to View My Results.

A client’s application number is also displayed. Clients are instructed to write down their application number or print this page for their records.

By clicking this “Print” button they are able to print only this page for their records.

Results of Application

New

MI Bridges Update Webinar 18

After you click View My Results a summary will appear for health coverage eligibility for each person on the application.

Viewing Results New

OR

Now when you apply for health coverage, you will see immediate results of the health coverage/Medicaid eligibility.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 19

When the client has completed the application process, they may return to the MI Bridges website, log in, and then check the status of their application and benefits on the MI Bridges Dashboard.

Checking an Application’s Status

On this page, clients will be able to view: • Status of any application or program • Any upcoming appointments • Any outstanding documents or

information they need to provide • Status of any Change Reports • Status of Redetermination New

Click on View to see the details of any application

MI Bridges Update Webinar 20

If a client wants to view any case information (office location, case worker contact information, etc.) they will first need to click on View My Case. Once on that page, under What is the Status of my Benefit Programs? they should click under Summary for the details of their case (which will have case worker and local office information).

Viewing Your Case Information New

You may notice that now after a client submits their application, the central DHS processing address does not appear. Now clients need to be instructed to check back under View My Case to see where they should send any documentation or who they should contact with questions. Note: This feature is only available once an application has been processed – immediate results will not appear after submitting..

MI Bridges Update Webinar 21

The already active client may now begin the process of creating an account with Step 1.

Active Clients/Linking Your Account

Completing the steps on this screen will link their existing active case to their MI Bridges account.

IMPORTANT: Linking a MI Bridges account to Bridges is the only way that a client’s password can be reset.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 22

• MI Bridges and Bridges communicate with one another, however unless the accounts are LINKED from MI Bridges the password cannot be reset.

• Only an active client can link the accounts from MI Bridges.

• Linking the account also ensures that a client does not create multiple accounts.

Linking a MI Bridges Account to Bridges

Client creates account and fills out application on MI

Bridges

Application is now active in Bridges and client can go into

MI Bridges and link the account

Application is either auto- processed or routed to SSPC / Local Office for processing.

If clients are using MI Bridges to check on their case, please assist them in linking their account.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 23

ACA Changes to MI Bridges

Changes on Application

New

Clients no longer choose what type of medical assistance application they would like to fill out. Note: The application has been streamlined, and now all citizens will fill out the same application. The screen on the right no longer exists in MI Bridges. When a citizen wants to apply, they will immediately be directed to a page that requests personal information.

MI Bridges Update Webinar 24

ACA Changes to MI Bridges (Cont.)

Changes on the View My Case Page

Now there will be an additional button to view Health Coverage Eligibility.

Temporarily Disabled Functionalities There are some MI Bridges functionalities that have been temporarily disabled. It is anticipated that these listed functionalities will be added back in a later release. • Arabic and Spanish languages disabled • “Add Member” feature disabled in Report My Changes and Renew My Benefits

New

MI Bridges Basics

The MI Bridges online application can take 30 minutes or longer to complete.

Having documents like Birth Certificates, Driver’s Licenses, Lease Agreements, Paycheck Stubs, etc. already scanned and ready for upload is very helpful when applying online. Each document should be saved and uploaded as a separate file.

Applications submitted online will remain in their MI Bridges Dashboard where the client may log in at any time to view their applications and upload documents.

The client should keep their login information to MI Bridges in a secure location.

Clients only need to create one MI Bridges account to apply and reapply for programs.

A Few Tips and Reminders

25

MI Bridges Update Webinar 26

We hope you’ve enjoyed this method of receiving information on MI Bridges and look forward to sharing more in the future.

Thank You!