The Healthy Michigan Plan in brief
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) describes the Healthy Michigan Plan (HMP) as Michigan's Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. As of November 2026, MDHHS lists these eligibility rules:
- Income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level
- Not eligible for or enrolled in Medicare
- Not eligible for or enrolled in other Medicaid programs
- Meeting new federal work requirements, beginning January 1, 2027
MDHHS says HMP covers the essential health benefits, including mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and that members may owe small copays to a doctor's office, pharmacy or other provider. The work requirement is new, so if you have HMP, read any notice from MDHHS carefully and keep your contact information current. Questions about eligibility can go to the Michigan Health Care Helpline at 1-855-789-5610.
Two paths for mental health care
Michigan's Medicaid mental health system has two parts, and knowing which one fits saves time.
Your Medicaid health plan
Many Medicaid and HMP members get their care through a Medicaid health plan (MHP), a managed care plan that contracts with MDHHS. MDHHS policy divides behavioral health responsibility by severity. A 2025 MDHHS Medicaid bulletin, for example, states that psychological evaluations for mild to moderate conditions such as anxiety disorders are the health plan's responsibility. For many people with anxiety or depression, outpatient therapy often starts here.
To begin, call the member services number on your health plan card and ask for a list of in-network behavioral health providers who are taking new patients. Ask whether you need a referral from your primary care doctor and whether video visits are covered.
The public specialty system
For more serious needs, MDHHS explains that mental health services are coordinated through local Community Mental Health Services Programs (CMHSPs), and that Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs) manage specialty behavioral health services and the provider networks that deliver them. The same 2025 bulletin says the PIHP is responsible when severe concerns are suspected and for treatment if the person is found eligible.
In Oakland County, that local agency is Oakland Community Health Network. OCHN says its Access Team screens people based on the severity and urgency of their situation and determines eligibility for specialty services. People who may be eligible include adults with mental illness, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, children with serious emotional disturbance and people with substance use disorders. OCHN notes that most have Medicaid or Healthy Michigan Plan coverage.
- OCHN non-crisis Access line: 248-464-6363 (OCHN lists weekday hours on its website)
- Walk-in: the Resource and Crisis Center, 1200 N Telegraph Rd, Building 32E, Pontiac
- OCHN crisis line, 24/7: 1-888-238-0611
You do not have to know which path you belong on before you call. If your health plan thinks your needs are more serious, it can point you to the CMH system, and if OCHN's screening finds your needs fit the health plan better, it can point you back. MDHHS describes that kind of referral back to the primary care doctor or health plan network when specialty services are not needed.
What to say when you call
Screeners want a clear picture. It helps to have a few notes ready:
- What you have been feeling (worry, panic, low mood, loss of interest) and how long it has been going on
- How it affects work, sleep, eating, relationships or caring for others
- Any past treatment, hospital stays or medications, and who prescribes them now
- Whether you have had thoughts of suicide. Saying so is not a reason to be turned away; it helps the screener find the right level of care quickly.
- Your Medicaid ID number and health plan name
While you wait for a first appointment
Getting connected can take a few calls. In the meantime, tell your primary care doctor what has been going on; they can check for medical causes, talk about options and help with a referral. Write down the names of the places you called and when, so you can follow up without starting over. If things get worse while you wait, use the crisis numbers below rather than waiting for the scheduled visit.
Parity and your rights
Medicaid is a public program, not a group health plan, but CMS notes that Medicaid managed care plans must meet certain federal mental health parity requirements. If you think a limit on your therapy is unfair, ask your health plan to explain it in writing and use its grievance and appeal process. Mental Health Parity: What Your Insurance Must Cover in Michigan explains parity more fully.
Medicare and Medicaid together
People who are eligible for Medicare are not eligible for HMP, but some people qualify for both Medicare and another Michigan Medicaid program. If that is you, ask both programs, and any therapist you are considering, how claims will be handled before the first visit. Does Medicare Cover Therapy for Anxiety and Depression? covers the Medicare side.
Private practices and Medicaid
Not every private-practice therapist is in a Medicaid health plan's network. For Dr. Lehmann's practice, the only in-network plan listed is Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, so if you have Medicaid or HMP, call the office at (248) 270-2030 to confirm before scheduling. Whatever plan you have, the fees and insurance page and the description of therapy for depression can help you decide what to ask.