Are you one of the more than 35,000 Washtenaw County residents who do not have health care coverage?

If so, you may be eligible for coverage.

If you do not have health insurance and you live in Washtenaw County, you are not alone. More than 35,000 county residents are in the same situation. The Washtenaw Health Plan provides health care coverage for low-income Washtenaw County residents who do not have access to other health coverage. For a short window of time, from October 1, 2010 through November 30, 2010, the WHP program, known as Plan A or the Adult Benefit Waiver program, will be open for enrollment. The Plan A/ABW program covers primary and specialty care, prescription drug coverage, a limited mental health benefit and other medically necessary services. This is the first time in nearly a year-and-a-half that Plan A/ABW is open. With a determined push toward enrollment, thousands of county residents could get access to health care coverage.

Plan A is intended for very low-income adults. You may qualify if you:
• Are age 19 through 64 with no minor children at home;
• Have no income or are very low-income, with a maximum income of:

o $316 a month for a single person (up to $595 a month for job income only)

o $425 a month for a married couple (up to $731 a month for job income only);
• Are a U.S. citizen or have been a non-citizen, legal resident in the U.S., usually for at least five years;
• Have no private or public insurance such as Blue Cross, full Medicaid, and Medicare;
• Have less than $3,000 in assets and or savings other than a home and car.
If you live in Washtenaw County, you can get an application from the Washtenaw Health Plan at 555 Towner, Ypsilanti, MI or you can call the WHP at 734-544-3030 to get an application mailed to you. If you live in another Michigan county, you can get the application from your local Department of Human Services office. The application can also be found online here.

Other Help for the Uninsured

There are some other programs that are both available for people who are uninsured and are currently open.

For Children, Age 0-18:

Healthy Kids/MIChild is for children age 18 and under. Healthy Kids is a free program if you are income-eligible --up to 150% of the poverty level, or a maximum of about $2,756/month for a family of four. MIChild is a low-cost program for children up to 200% of the poverty level, or a maximum of about $3,675 for a family of four. The application may be filled out and submitted online at healthcare4mi.org.

And if you have private insurance, you should know that under the health care reform law, children younger than 19 can no longer be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

For Young Adults:

Young adults with very low incomes, ages 19 and 20, may be eligible for full Medicaid through Medicaid Q. The application is the same as the one for Plan A/ABW Assistance Application, and the Washtenaw Health Plan can help you with that application, or you can get the application from your local DHS office.
Young adults age 19-26 may soon have another option. Under the health care reform law, over the coming year health plans will expand to include young adults up to age 26 who join or remain on their parents' health insurance policies. People this age will no longer need to be full-time students to keep coverage. (Essentially, the start of this depends on the timing of the new policy year for the company.) Read more about young adults at the Health and Human Services department

For Women:

Pregnant women of any age are also eligible for Medicaid if they are income eligible.
Are you a woman age 19-44? If you meet income eligibility requirements, and you would like access to birth control and family planning services, Michigan has a program designed for you. It is called Plan First! Fill out the application online at healthcare4mi.org. You can apply for Plan First! and Healthy Kids/MIChild at the same time.

Questions?

You may be eligible for other health care resources. If you still have questions, or if you want some more information, call the Washtenaw Health Plan at (734) 544-3030 or visit whp.ewashtenaw.org.

Ruth Kraut is a Health Analyst with the Washtenaw Health Plan. She can be reached at (734) 544-3068.