Daniel Bethencourt

Detroit Free Press

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced Sunday that he has asked for expanded Medicaid support for about 15,000 Flint residents, especially for pregnant women and those under 21, in the wake of the city’s water crisis.

“Children, teens and young adults exposed to lead need more coverage to get testing and the treatment they need,” Snyder said in a news release. He submitted a request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The expanded coverage would mean that all pregnant women and young people who used Flint’s water would be eligible for help, not just those whose income levels meet the requirements. (Those who earn more than four times the poverty level would have to buy into the program.)

Obama administration officials have already said on Friday that they expect to expand Medicaid services for Flint, including lead blood-level monitoring, behavioral health services and nutritional support for children and pregnant women in Flint as a result of the water crisis there.

Obama administration to offer more benefits in Flint

Contact Daniel Bethencourt: 313-223-4531 or dbethencourt@freepress.com. Follow on Twitter @_dbethencourt.