Michigan Medicaid for seniors is several programs, and if you're 65 or older and need long-term care, MI Choice and nursing-home Medicaid allow one person $9,950 in assets in 2026. Which one you start with depends on what you need and how much you have: Nursing Home Medicaid, the MI Choice Waiver, the Home Help Program, MI Coordinated Health for people who also have Medicare, the Medicaid Health Plans, and the Medicare Savings Programs. For how the whole system works, start with the Michigan Medicaid pillar guide.

Michigan Medicaid for Seniors: Which Program Fits You?

Start with the row that matches what you need. The income and asset figures are for one person in 2026; the sections below explain each program in full.,,,

Program Who It's For What It Pays For Where to Start
AD-Care (Medicaid for the aged or disabled) Aged or disabled; income to $1,350/month; assets to $9,950 Doctor, hospital, prescriptions MI Bridges or county MDHHS office
Nursing Home Medicaid Nursing facility level of care; income to $2,982/month or Group 2; assets to $9,950 Nursing facility care, after patient pay DHS-4574 to MDHHS
MI Choice Waiver Nursing facility level of care; income to $2,982/month, no spend-down; assets to $9,950 Care at home instead of a facility Your area's waiver agency
Home Help Active Medicaid; at least one daily activity ranked 3 or higher Personal care from a caregiver you choose MDHHS Adult Services
Medicare Savings Programs Medicare enrollees; QMB income to $1,350/month; assets to $9,950 Medicare premiums and, for QMB, cost-sharing MI Bridges or county MDHHS office
MI Coordinated Health (MICH) 21+, in both Medicare and Medicaid, in a 2026 MICH county Medicare and most Medicaid benefits in one plan MICH plans in your county

The 2026 Income and Asset Limits

The figures in the table above come from the MDHHS Bridges Eligibility Manual and Reference Tables. What to notice in 2026:,

  • The $9,950 asset limit is not universal. It covers the Medicare Savings Programs and a list of SSI-related categories that includes MI Choice, Extended-Care and AD-Care; other SSI-related categories keep the $2,000 limit, so confirm with MDHHS which applies to you. A couple's limit in those categories is $14,910.,
  • The $2,982 income limit is three times the 2026 SSI Federal Benefit Rate of $994, applied to gross income.
  • The $1,350 AD-Care and QMB limit is 100 percent of the federal poverty level plus a $20 disregard for Social Security (RSDI) income, and it resets each April 1.

If Your Income Is Over the Limit

  • MI Choice: gross countable income above $2,982 a month rules the waiver out, and you can't spend down to qualify.
  • Nursing home care: MDHHS tests the Extended-Care category first and a Group 2 category after it, so income above $2,982 doesn't by itself make a resident ineligible. Under Group 2, Medicaid starts once you've met a deductible, which MDHHS figures for your case.
  • After you qualify: a Group 2 nursing-home resident's monthly patient-pay amount is total income minus total need, and total need includes the $60 patient allowance and any allowance for an at-home spouse.,
  • Living at home: above the $1,350 AD-Care line, ask MDHHS whether Group 2 applies, and check the Medicare Savings Programs, whose top tier reaches $1,816 a month for one person.

Spousal Protections

If one spouse enters a nursing home or starts on the MI Choice Waiver while the other stays home, Michigan applies the federal spousal impoverishment protections:

  • Protected spousal amount (Community Spouse Resource Allowance): The at-home spouse keeps the greatest of a $32,532 minimum, half the couple's assets at the initial asset assessment up to $162,660, or an amount set in a hearing or by court order, which can exceed $162,660.
  • Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMNA): Income from the nursing-home spouse can be shifted to the at-home spouse to bring that spouse's income up to a basic allowance of $2,705.00 per month. The $4,066.50 maximum is a standard rather than an absolute ceiling: a fair hearing can adjust it, and court-ordered support sets a floor.
  • Personal Needs Allowance (PNA): The nursing-home resident keeps $60 per month of their own income for personal use ($90 per month for a veteran receiving an Improved Pension).
  • Home equity cap: The home is not an excluded asset when the applicant's homestead equity exceeds $752,000 in 2026. The cap does not apply when a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child lives in the home.

The 5-Year Look-Back

For nursing-home care, MI Choice, PACE, Home Help and home health, Michigan looks back 60 months (5 years) before the baseline date at asset transfers. An uncompensated transfer (a gift or below-market transfer) made during that window creates a penalty period, computed by dividing the uncompensated value by Michigan's average monthly private long-term-care cost, which is $12,216 per month for a 2026 baseline date. A penalty isn't ineligibility: Medicaid stops paying for long-term care, MI Choice or PACE services, Home Help and home health, but still pays for other covered care, and MDHHS must not apply a penalty that creates an undue hardship.

The Four Kinds of Michigan Medicaid Help for Seniors

From a senior's point of view, Michigan Medicaid breaks into four practical groups.

1. Acute Care Medicaid (Doctor Visits, Hospital, Prescriptions)

This is regular Medicaid, which MDHHS says covers medically necessary services including doctor visits, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, and medicine prescribed by a doctor. Some services may require prior approval, and people 21 and older may owe a small co-pay.

Who qualifies at 65 or older. One of Michigan's SSI-related Medicaid categories for people who are aged or disabled is Aged or Disabled Care (AD-Care). Effective April 1, 2026, its monthly income limit is $1,350 for one person and $1,824 for a couple, and its asset limit is $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for two., If your income is higher, ask MDHHS whether the Group 2 (deductible) pathway applies before ruling yourself out.

How the coverage is delivered. Michigan runs its managed care through Medicaid Health Plans (MHPs) under the Comprehensive Health Care Program, which CMS has authorized through the end of 2028. MDHHS's county-by-county plan listing, dated January 10, 2025, names nine Medicaid Health Plans, and MDHHS warns that new service areas may be approved monthly, so check the current listing for your county. Most people who get Medicaid must join a Health Plan; to enroll in or choose one, call Michigan ENROLLS at 1-800-975-7630. Our Michigan Medicaid Health Plans comparison lists the plans by name.

2. Long-Term Care Medicaid (Nursing Home)

If a senior needs care in a nursing facility and meets the clinical and financial tests, Michigan's Nursing Home Medicaid pays for the nursing facility care, minus a patient-pay amount: the resident's own share of the cost, paid from their income.

The clinical test is Michigan's Nursing Facility Level of Care Determination (LOCD):

  • Who needs it: every Medicaid-paid nursing facility admission, and every MI Choice or PACE enrollment. It is an in-person meeting with a licensed health professional, and CHAMPS applies the MDHHS algorithm to the results.
  • What it tests: seven domains of need called Doors, such as Activities of Daily Living and Cognitive Performance. Meeting none gives a Door 0 (ineligible) result; MDHHS or its designee can also find a person eligible under Door 8, the Frailty criteria.
  • If you get Door 0: request an LOCD Secondary Review within three business days of the written notice; MDHHS's notice template sends that request to iMPROve Health at 800-727-7223. It is not an appeal, and you can also request a Medicaid Fair Hearing.

The financial test is the Extended-Care test above, with Group 2 for higher incomes. The Michigan nursing home Medicaid guide walks through the patient-pay amount.

Michigan's Estate Recovery Program can recover only from the probate assets of a recipient who got long-term-care Medicaid at 55 or older, and it defers recovery while certain close family members are living. See our Michigan Medicaid estate recovery guide for the full rules.

3. Home and Community-Based Services (Staying at Home Instead of a Facility)

For care at home, Michigan has two very different paths.

MI Choice Waiver is Michigan's 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver for people 65 or older and adults with disabilities who meet nursing facility level of care. Applicants must meet that level of care through the LOCD and meet income and asset criteria, and can then get Medicaid-covered services like a nursing home's while living at home or in another residential setting. Covered services include Community Living Supports, adult day health, respite, home modifications, personal emergency response systems, home-delivered meals, private-duty nursing, and more, on top of supports coordination. Self-determination lets a participant choose their own workers, but not a spouse or guardian; a spouse can be paid only as a Community Living Supports provider through a network home care agency, when the participant needs extraordinary care.

MI Choice has a capacity limit. When it is full, MDHHS's CMS-approved waiver ranks the waiting list in this order: young adults aging out of State Plan private duty nursing, nursing-home residents who want to return to the community, applicants diverted from an imminent nursing-home admission (including anyone with an active Adult Protective Services case), and then everyone else by date of inquiry. Actual enrollment can vary from that ranking. To be found in need of waiver services, an applicant must require at least two of them, delivered at least monthly or with regular monthly monitoring. Applications go through the waiver agency serving your community, found on MDHHS's Waiver Agency Region Map; fourteen of the twenty agencies are Area Agency on Aging organizations.

The Home Help Program is Michigan's Medicaid personal care program, run by MDHHS for people with active Medicaid who need hands-on help with daily activities. To qualify, a client must be assessed as needing help with at least one activity of daily living (ADL) ranked 3 or higher. The client chooses and employs the caregiver, who must be 18 or older and pass a criminal history screen. Home Help won't pay a spouse, and the spouse must be unable or unavailable to give the care for the client to qualify. A family that wants a spouse paid should ask about MI Choice's Community Living Supports route.

In adult foster care or a home for the aged. If you're a Medicaid recipient or eligible for Medicaid and live in a licensed adult foster care (AFC) home or home for the aged (HFA), MDHHS may pay a personal care supplement of $250.92 a month directly to the home. It doesn't pay room and board, so you need income such as SSI to cover that. See AFC vs. home for the aged in Michigan.

You can ask MDHHS about Home Help and contact the MI Choice waiver agency at the same time. After the LOCD, MDHHS requires that applicants get information on every program they qualify for, so ask how MI Choice would affect any Home Help you already get. Michigan also enrolls people in PACE (the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), which uses the same LOCD. For free help comparing these options, call the MI Options line at 800-803-7174.

Michigan's other 1915(c) waivers, such as the Habilitation Supports Waiver for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, are in the Michigan HCBS waivers guide.

4. Help Paying Medicare Premiums and Costs

If you have Medicare, the Medicare Savings Programs can pay some or all of its costs. There are four; the three below are set by income, from lowest to highest (the fourth, QDWI, pays the Part A premium for certain working people with disabilities). Michigan's monthly income limits below took effect April 1, 2026, and the asset limit for all three is $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple.

  • Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB): income up to $1,350 for one person or $1,824 for a couple. QMB pays the Part A premium (if you don't have premium-free Part A) and the Part B premium, plus Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for Medicare-covered services. Medicare providers aren't allowed to bill you for those deductibles, coinsurance and copayments, though you may still get a bill for a small Medicaid copayment.
  • Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB): income from $1,350.01 to $1,616 for one person, or $1,824.01 to $2,184 for a couple. Michigan's tables call it limited-coverage QMB (SLM). Medicaid pays the Part B premium only.
  • Qualifying Individual (QI): income from $1,616.01 to $1,816 for one person, or $2,184.01 to $2,455 for a couple; Michigan calls it ALMB. Medicaid pays the Part B premium only. QI is only for people who don't qualify for any other Medicaid coverage, it's granted first-come, first-served from a capped annual federal allocation, and it must be reapplied for every year.

All three tiers pay the Part B premium, and Medicare.gov says that when your state pays your Part B premium through a Medicare Savings Program, you get Extra Help, Medicare's help with prescription drug costs, automatically. See the Michigan Medicare Savings Programs guide for what counts as an asset and how to apply.

Michigan residents 21 or older with both Medicare and Medicaid (other than hospice patients and state veterans home residents) can also enroll in MI Coordinated Health (MICH), the plan that replaced MI Health Link on January 1, 2026. For 2026 it runs in Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, Macomb, St. Joseph, Van Buren, and Wayne counties, plus any Upper Peninsula county except Chippewa, Gogebic, and Menominee, with statewide expansion planned for 2027.

Not sure which Michigan Medicaid program fits? Chat with Brevy and we will match your situation to the right pathway: Home Help, MI Choice, MI Coordinated Health, or Nursing Home Medicaid.

Who to Call About Michigan Medicaid

Michigan Medicaid is administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Its Medicaid Health Plans (MHPs) serve members county by county. MI Choice runs through regional waiver agencies. The Home Help Program is run by MDHHS itself, through its adult services workers.

These phone lines can help with coverage questions.,

Michigan ENROLLS (MI ENROLLS) The state's Medicaid managed-care enrollment line. Answers general questions about Medicaid benefits, tells you which doctors, pharmacies, and hospitals are part of each Health Plan, and can enroll you by phone in the Health Plan you choose. 1-800-975-7630 www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/assistance-programs/healthcare/beneficiary-support
Michigan's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Michigan's free, unbiased resource for understanding Medicare. Local certified counselors give personal assistance at no charge and don't sell Medicare plans. 1-800-803-7174 www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/adult-child-serv/adults-and-seniors/acls/state-health-insurance-assistance-program
MI Options (Long-Term Care Options Counseling) Free options counseling for adults looking for long-term care services and supports. An agent can schedule an appointment or refer you to a certified counselor in your community. 800-803-7174, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday

How to Apply

The application pathway depends on what you are applying for.

Regular Medicaid, QMB, SLMB, QI: Apply through MI Bridges online, by phone, or by filing a paper MDHHS-1171 Assistance Application at a county MDHHS office. A MI Bridges online application counts the same as the paper MDHHS-1171. MDHHS must approve or deny the application within 45 days, or within 90 days for categories in which disability is an eligibility factor.

Nursing Home Medicaid: A nursing facility resident files the DHS-4574, Medicaid Application for Nursing Facility Patients. A couple can request the initial asset assessment of what the at-home spouse keeps on the DHS-4574-B, even without applying; MDHHS must mail its notice within 45 days of the signed form. Retroactive coverage for up to three prior calendar months is available if eligibility existed then, requested on the DHS-3243.

MI Choice Waiver: Contact the waiver agency serving your community, using the Waiver Agency Region Map on MDHHS's MI Choice page. Expect an in-person LOCD assessment (or use of an existing one), a financial determination, and a place on the waiting list if slots are full.

Home Help Program: Ask MDHHS for Home Help. An MDHHS adult services worker visits you in person where you live and completes the Adult Services Comprehensive Assessment (MDHHS-5534), and an approved medical provider certifies your medical need on form MDHHS-6200 or DHS-54A.

MI Coordinated Health (MICH): A full-benefit dual eligible can join an integrated D-SNP in any month, to align coverage with a Medicaid managed care organization, under the federal Integrated Care Special Enrollment Period. See our MI Coordinated Health guide for the 2026 plans serving your county and how to join.

If you're denied: you have 90 calendar days from the written notice to request a hearing, and the request must reach your local MDHHS office within that window. If MDHHS is ending your Medicaid, a request made before the effective date keeps benefits in place; a denial at application doesn't continue benefits while you wait. The Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules (MOAHR) denies unsigned requests. See the Michigan Medicaid appeals guide.

For free, unbiased help sorting through Medicare alongside any of these, call Michigan's SHIP at 1-800-803-7174.

See our detailed Michigan Medicaid application guide for step-by-step instructions, document checklists, and common pitfalls.

Your next step Not sure which door to knock on? Apply for regular Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program through MI Bridges, contact the waiver agency for MI Choice, and ask MDHHS for Home Help. Find personalized help matching your situation to the right Michigan Medicaid program at brevy.com.

Healthy Michigan Plan vs. Senior Medicaid

The Healthy Michigan Plan covers adults age 19 to 64, with an income limit of 133 percent of the federal poverty level. It is not the pathway for seniors: at 65, the programs above are the ones to look at.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the income limit for Michigan Medicaid for seniors?

It depends on the pathway. For AD-Care, Michigan's Medicaid category for people who are aged or disabled, the limit is $1,350 a month for one person and $1,824 for a couple, effective April 1, 2026. The Extended-Care and MI Choice limit is $2,982 a month, 300% of the SSI Federal Benefit Rate. MI Choice allows no spend-down above it; nursing-home Medicaid can still be reached through Group 2 once a deductible is met.

What is the asset limit?

For MI Choice, Extended-Care, AD-Care and the Medicare Savings Programs it's $9,950 for one person in 2026; other SSI-related categories keep $2,000, so confirm which applies. The at-home spouse keeps the greatest of $32,532, half the couple's assets up to $162,660, or more set by hearing or court order. If the applicant's home equity exceeds $752,000 in 2026, the home is no longer an excluded asset; that limit doesn't apply while a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child lives there.

What is the difference between MI Choice and Home Help?

Home Help is Michigan's Medicaid personal care program, run by MDHHS Adult Services, for people with active Medicaid who need hands-on help with at least one daily activity ranked 3 or higher; it won't pay a spouse. The MI Choice Waiver is a 1915(c) waiver with a capacity limit, a waiting list when full, and a nursing-facility level-of-care test, and it covers a wider set of services.,

What is MI Coordinated Health?

MI Coordinated Health (MICH) is Michigan's Highly Integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (HIDE D-SNP), launched January 1, 2026 after MI Health Link ended December 31, 2025. It covers all Medicare benefits and most Medicaid benefits, including long-term services and supports, with no co-pays or deductibles for in-network services except in some cases for Part D drugs, and it is run by nine contracted health plans. For 2026 it is available in 10 lower-peninsula counties plus most of the Upper Peninsula.

How do I apply for Michigan Medicaid as a senior?

It depends on the program. Regular Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs go through MI Bridges or the county MDHHS office, with a 45-day decision standard. Nursing Home Medicaid is filed on the DHS-4574. MI Choice starts with your area's waiver agency. Home Help starts with an in-person MDHHS Adult Services assessment. MICH enrollment runs through the 2026 plans serving your county. For free Medicare counseling at any stage, Michigan's SHIP counselors answer at 1-800-803-7174.

Will Michigan Medicaid take my house?

Not automatically. Michigan's Estate Recovery Program applies to recipients 55 or older who received Medicaid long-term care services, and it can recover only from assets that go through probate, which can include a home. MDHHS won't ask for money back while a surviving spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or permanently and totally disabled child of any age is living.

Learn More

MedicaidHow to Apply for Michigan MedicaidA complete, step-by-step guide to applying for Michigan Medicaid in 2026: MI Bridges, MDHHS-1171, documents you need, timelines, and how to appeal a denial. MedicaidMI Choice Waiver ProgramMI Choice Waiver pays for in-home care, respite and adult day for Michigan adults who need nursing-home care. 2026 income limit $2,982/month; how to apply. CaregiverMichigan Home Help ProgramMichigan's Home Help Program pays a caregiver the client chooses $17.13/hr in 2026. Who can be paid (not a spouse), who qualifies, and how to apply. MedicaidMichigan Medicaid Nursing Home CoverageMichigan Medicaid nursing home coverage in 2026: income and asset limits, the medically-needy spend-down, the 5-year look-back, and estate recovery. MedicaidMichigan Medicaid Health Plans ComparisonCompare Michigan's nine Medicaid Health Plans for 2026: how county availability works, how MHP and MI Coordinated Health differ, and how to switch plans. MedicaidMI Coordinated Health for Dual EligiblesMI Coordinated Health (MICH) is Michigan's 2026 integrated Medicare-Medicaid plan for full-benefit duals. Who qualifies, the 2026 counties, and how to enroll. MedicaidMichigan Medicare Savings ProgramsMichigan Medicare Savings Programs for 2026: QMB, SLMB, and QI income limits, what each covers, how to apply through MI Bridges, and Extra Help connection.

Find personalized help sorting out Michigan Medicaid at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

Still have questions?

Brevy answers from this guide and every other guide here, and can check what you qualify for.

BC

Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.