PRESS RELEASE: GHP continuing to help people enroll in health coverage during 2023 HealthCare.Gov Open Enrollment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 21, 2022

Shannon Ciszek, Communications Coordinator, Genesee Health Plan, 810.232.7740, sciszek@countyhealthplans.org

Genesee Health Plan continuing to help people enroll in health coverage during 2023 HealthCare.Gov Open Enrollment

Enrollment assistance available for Genesee, Saginaw, and Bay County residents

FLINT – 2023 Open Enrollment through the Federal Health Insurance Exchange – also known as HealthCare.gov (Affordable Care Act/Obamacare) – began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15, 2023.

Additionally, GHP will offer enrollment services for the following health care coverage options, with staff available to help residents determine which plan to enroll in:

• HealthCare.gov: Open Enrollment through HealthCare.gov began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15, 2023.
• Medicare: Open Enrollment began Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7.
• Healthy Michigan (Medicaid): Healthy Michigan is a Medicaid program offered through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Visit GHP’s website for more information about Healthy Michigan. Enrollment is year-round.
• Genesee Health Plan: Genesee County residents who are at least 19 years old, do not have health insurance and meet the eligibility requirements may qualify for Genesee Health Plan coverage. Visit GHP’s website for more information about its health plan. Enrollment is year-round.

“Our priority is to make sure community members in Genesee, Saginaw and Bay County know what their health care coverage options are and to help them enroll in coverage that best fits their needs,” said GHP President and CEO Jim Milanowski. “The continuation of the CMS grant will allow us to ramp up our efforts in addressing barriers that community members face when enrolling and accessing health coverage.”

To help assist residents in Genesee, Saginaw, and Bay County with questions about health care coverage, GHP hosted a Health Care Phone Bank on Nov. 16, staffed by volunteer operators from GHP, Greater Flint Health Coalition, Hamilton Community Health Network and Valley Area Agency on Aging. Community members called in with questions ranging from Medicare to Medicaid and HealthCare.Gov Marketplace. In total 134 calls were answered, with 45 calls about Medicare, and 35 about HealthCare.Gov. All other calls were related to Medicaid and miscellaneous health care coverage questions.

“On average each year, 4,650 seniors are aging into Medicare in Genesee County,” said Valley Area Agency on Aging President and CEO, Yaushica Aubert. “Based on the number of those enrolling into Medicare for the first time, and the number of calls received about Medicare during the phone bank, it’s prevalent that the aging population needs help with neutral enrollment options and what better organization for us to partner with than Genesee Health Plan to help our senior community members ensure they have and understand their health coverage.”

In August of 2021, Genesee Health Plan (GHP) received a three-year federal Navigator Cooperative Agreement Award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to Support Navigators in Federally-facilitated Exchanges. Under the grant, GHP will continue to help Genesee, Saginaw and Bay County residents enroll in health care coverage during 2023 Open Enrollment. GHP is one of 60 recipients nationwide and one of 3 organizations in Michigan to receive the grant for 2021-2024.

“I was proud to secure federal funding to help Genesee Health Plan continue their critical work helping mid-Michigan residents better understand their health coverage options,” said U.S. Congressman Dan Kildee. “In Congress, I will continue working to ensure every Michigander has access to high-quality, affordable health insurance.”

This project is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $324,365 with 48% funded by CMS/HHS ($324,365) and 52% ($348,702) funded by non-government sources with a total project cost of $673,067. The contents are those of author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.