On January 1, 2026, Michigan retired MI Health Link and moved its dual-eligible members into a new program called MI Coordinated Health, or MICH. For patients who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, the change affects who coordinates their care, how home services are arranged and which choices they need to make.
Nurses are often the first to hear the confusion. A patient asks why their plan name changed, a daughter wants to know whether Home Help will continue, or a discharge stalls because no one is sure who authorizes personal care. This guide covers the basics nurses need to answer those questions with confidence.
What MICH is
MICH is a highly integrated dual eligible special needs plan, or HIDE SNP. In plain terms, it is a Medicare Advantage plan that also delivers Medicaid benefits, so one health plan manages hospital care, prescriptions, dental, behavioral health and long-term services and supports.
According to the MDHHS Adult Services Manual, each plan must provide person-centered care coordination. That includes health assessments, an individualized care plan and monitoring by an integrated care team.
Who qualifies
The MDHHS eligibility manual lists these core requirements:
- Age 21 or older
- Enrolled in Medicare Parts A, B and D
- Receiving full Medicaid benefits
- Living in a covered region
- Not enrolled in hospice or living in a state veterans’ home or state psychiatric hospital
At launch, MICH covers four regions: most of the Upper Peninsula, southwest Michigan, Macomb County and Wayne County. Statewide expansion is planned for 2027. Enrollment is passive, meaning eligible people are enrolled automatically, but members can disenroll or change plans at any time.
The Home Help question
This is the detail most likely to catch families off guard. A patient cannot be in MICH and Michigan’s Home Help program at the same time. The Adult Services Manual is direct: if the client chooses MI Coordinated Health, the Home Help case must be closed.
For nurses, this matters at every transition. A patient with a long-standing Home Help provider may be auto-enrolled in MICH and not realize what that means for the caregiver they rely on. Clients can switch between options monthly, as Medicare rules allow, but the choice should be informed rather than accidental.
Personal care is still available inside MICH. Members who meet nursing facility level of care can receive home and community-based waiver services, including personal care, respite, adult day programs, chore services, home modifications and adaptive equipment. These services are arranged through the health plan rather than through a Home Help caseworker.
A nursing checklist for MICH patients
- Confirm the plan at admission. Check whether the patient is a MICH member and note the plan’s care coordinator in the chart. That coordinator is your partner for post-discharge services.
- Ask who provides care at home. Identify the family member, friend or aide who currently helps with bathing, dressing, meals and medications, and how that care is paid for.
- Flag Home Help conflicts early. If the patient has an active Home Help case, make sure the patient and family understand the trade-off before any enrollment change.
- Loop in the care coordinator before discharge. Personal care, equipment and home modifications under MICH require plan authorization. Starting that request on discharge day often means a gap.
- Teach the caregiver. Medication reconciliation, warning signs and transfer techniques are as important for an unpaid daughter as for a paid aide.
- Document the plan in plain language. Give the family the coordinator’s name, phone number and what to call about.
Supporting the family caregiver
Most dual-eligible patients who stay at home do so because a relative or friend shows up every day. That caregiver often knows the patient’s baseline better than anyone on the care team, and they are usually the one who notices early decompensation.
Nurses can help by connecting families with local agencies that understand the program. Organizations that provide in-home support for MI Coordinated Health members can help families navigate the plan, coordinate personal care and, where the plan allows it, help a trusted family caregiver get set up. What is available can vary by health plan, so families should confirm options with their MICH care coordinator.
The bottom line for nurses
MICH changes the map for Michigan’s dual-eligible patients, but the nursing job stays the same: make sure the patient goes home to a plan that works. Know whether your patient is a MICH member, know who their care coordinator is, and know who will be at the bedside when the visiting staff leave.
A two-minute conversation about Home Help and home caregivers at admission can prevent a failed discharge a week later.
Author bio (placeholder): [Author name] writes about care transitions, Medicaid home care and family caregiving in Michigan. [Add one line of credentials.]
References
- MDHHS, Adult Services Manual ASM 126: MI Coordinated Health Program
- MDHHS, Bridges Eligibility Manual BEM 168: MI Coordinated Health
- Michigan Multi-Payer Initiatives, Upcoming 2026 Transition for MI Health Link
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