Senior Action Week and Older Michiganian's Day
SENIOR ACTION WEEK: May 5, 2025 - May 9, 2025
OLDER MICHIGANIANS DAY: May 7, 2025
This advocacy event will spotlight three critical areas of senior services for the state of Michigan including:
1. EXPAND ACCESS TO MI CHOICE
MI Choice is an in-home service program that enables over 15,000 Medicaid-eligible seniors and adults with a disabiity who meet eligibility requirements, to receive Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in their home rather than a nursing facility. Not only do most older adults (88%) want to age in their homes and communities, but the MI Choice program is also 62% less expensive than a Medicaid nursing facility. MI Choice suppors individuals by providing an extensive array of person-centered, in-home services and supports including assistance with activities of daily living, nursing services, home-delivered meals, home modifications, respite care, transportation, adult day care and more. To support participants in the program, a risk pool assists in covering additional costs. This risk pool has been underfunded and doesn't cover the need. In addition, the difference between revenue and cost, or margin rate, along with the administration rate are not in line with other state Medicaid programs.
Michigan ranks near the bottom in the proportion of taxpayer dollars spent by states to provide long-term care through home and community-based services (HCBS) versus institutional care. In Michigan during Fiscal Year 2023, only 29% of LTSS funding was allocated to HCBS while 71% went to institutional settings - far below the national average of 53% of LTSS funding going towards HCBS. Supporting access to MI Choice would bring Michigan more in line with most states in allocating at least half of LTSS funding to HCBS.
ACTION: Urge the legislature to fully fund the risk pool with an appropriation directly from the Medicaid HCBS budget line, reqiring about $5 million in GF.
ACTION: Urge MDHHS to increase the margin rate to at least 1% and increase the administration rate to 9%.
ACTION: Urge MDHHS to address non-financial administrative issues through a workgroup process.
ACTION: Urge the legislature to bring equity between HCBS and institutional care by rebalancing Medicaid LTSS funding to at least the national average of 53%.
2. INCREASE ACCESS TO HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES
In Michigan, there are currently 6,970 seniors on waiting lists for essential non-Medicaid in-home services provided through Michigan's Bureau of Aging, Community Living, and Supports (ACLS Bureau). These funded services include home delivered meals, in-home personal care, homemaking, and respite care that delay or prevent the need for more costly long-term care interventions.
ACTION: Support the Silver Key Coalition's request for a $8 million increase for ACLS in-home services in ACLS' FY 2026 budget.
ACTION: Support the Silver Key Coalition's request for a $2 million increase for home delivered meals in ACLS' FY 2026 budget.
3. SUPPORT FAMILY AND INFORMAL CAREGIVERS
Family caregivers provide essential care to older adults and loved ones. It is estimated that 1.73 million Michiganians provide an estimated 1.1 billion hours of voluntary care worth approximately $19.6 billion per year and are the largest source of long-term services and supports in the country. With the continuing direct care workforce shortage, support for caregivers is even more important to assist older adults in their homes. Without continued family-provided help, the cost to Michigan's health and Long-Term Serivces and Supports systems will skyrocket.
ACTION: Urge the legislature to support a permanent $5 million appropriation in the FY 2026 budget distributed to AAAs to support continued development of AAA Caregiver Resource Center, caregiver educational opportunities, services and supports with a focus on health equity.
ACTION: Urge the legislature to pass the Caring for MI Family Tax Credit to provide tax relief of up to $5,000 per year for family caregivers.
LETTER CAMPAIGN
A letter campaign during Senior Action Week last year helped preserve vital senior services in the FY2025 budget, so we are asking for your help again this year. Simply sign and print your name as well as your city and zip code and mail the completed form to (Laurie Sauer at 2569 US 23 South, Alpena, MI 49707). Feel free to add any additional comments, or a personal story, that you feel our elected officials should know on the back of this page. Comments are welcomed, but not required.
Please have the letters returned by April 30, 2025.Thank you for taking the time to help. If you have any questions, please call Laurie Sauer at 989-358-4663 or email us at aging@nemcsa.org