About MHLO

What is MI Health Link?

MI Health Link (MHL) is a new health care option for Michigan adults, age 21 and over, who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. MHL is available to residents of the counties of Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, Macomb, St. Joseph, Van Buren, and Wayne, or any county in the Upper Peninsula. The goal of MHL is to create a single program to provide enrollees with easy access to benefits provided under Medicare and/or Medicaid including behavioral health services, pharmacy services, dental and vision services, home and community- based services and supports, and nursing home care.  Every person enrolled in MI Health Link will have a care coordinator to help develop a personal health care plan and get the services and supports the beneficiary needs and wants.

This video provides an excellent overview of MI Health Link:

What is the MI Health Link Ombudsman?

The MI Health Link Ombudsman (MHLO) serves as an advocate and problem-solver for beneficiaries enrolled in MI Health Link. All of our services are free and we keep all beneficiary information confidential.  We can:

  • Answer questions about MI Health Link
  • Help solve problems with care and benefits
  • Connect beneficiaries to other resources
  • Assist with grievances and appeals, and
  • File complaints 

We also work with health plans, Pre-Paid In-patient Health Plans (that offer behavioral health services), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the federal government to spot issues, identify best practices, and offer solutions that will help make the MI Health Link program work better for beneficiaries.

Digital brochures about the MHLO can be found below, and physical copies may be available upon request.

Brochure (English)

Brochure (Spanish/Español)

Brochure (Arabic/العربية)

Who operates the MHLO program?

MHLO is a project of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative (MEJI) and our partners at the Counsel and Advocacy Law Line (CALL), two free, non-profit legal services programs for low income Michiganians. 

MI Health Link Updates

MDHHS creates monthly enrollment dashboards for MI Health Link. These dashboards show enrollment numbers, and also break down enrollment numbers by age and location. The MI Health Link Ombudsman attends semiweekly meetings with MDHHS, where updated enrollment numbers are discussed, so occasionally the numbers in the enrollment dashboard will not match the table below. The table, however, likely has the most up-to-date numbers. 

Enrollment Numbers (as of January 2018)
Region Enrollees
Upper Peninsula (Region 1) 4,354 (-54)
Southwest (Region 4) 9,131 (-100)
Wayne (Region 7) 21,059(-271)
Macomb (Region 9) 4,072 (-16)
Total 38,616 (+260)