Great Lakes Wire

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced the successful completion of the first year of its Plan First! program. This initiative, which began over a year ago, has provided nearly 20,000 residents with family planning services. The program is a limited Medicaid benefit designed for those who do not qualify for traditional Medicaid.

Plan First! offers a variety of services, including in-office visits with providers, access to birth control and other contraceptive products, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and additional health care services. "In Michigan, we continue to do all we can to protect and expand access to reproductive freedom," stated Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. She emphasized the importance of providing families with resources to decide when or if they want to start a family and ensuring access to necessary health care services.

The program covers FDA-approved contraceptive products and natural family planning methods. It also includes pregnancy testing and counseling, STI services, certain cancer screenings, voluntary sterilization procedures, follow-up care, HIV prophylaxis treatments, vaccines, and other preconception health services.

Eligibility for Plan First! requires individuals to complete a Medicaid application available on the MI Bridges portal or via paper form. The coverage is open to individuals regardless of age or gender who are not pregnant at the time of application. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or qualified immigrants residing in Michigan without existing Medicaid benefits and meet income eligibility requirements set at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Enrollees have the freedom to choose their family planning providers from any qualified Medicaid-enrolled provider. These include Title X family planning clinics, local health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Tribal Health Centers, as well as primary care or obstetrical providers. Those eligible for Plan First! can also opt for coverage through the Health Care Marketplace.

Further information about Plan First! benefits and services can be found at Michigan.gov/PlanFirst.