The Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have an important message for Medicaid Beneficiaries! When Covid-19 began, Medicaid enrollment and eligibility rules made changes to ensure that people would not lose Medicaid coverage. On May 11, 2023, the Public Health Emergency ended and so did those flexible changes. All states have now resumed their regular processes for renewing Medicaid coverage.
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that this has resulted in the disenrollment of more than 1.6 million people since July 2023. Many of these people may still be eligible but lost coverage because of not returning forms or for other administrative mistakes.
Everyone covered by Medicaid needs to know this:
- Over the next 12 months, everyone with health care coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will need to renew their coverage.
- What to do to avoid losing coverage if they are still eligible.
- Other options for coverage if no longer eligible for Medicaid or CHIP (such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace or employer-sponsored coverage), and how to find help navigating them.
- UPDATE contact information with your state Medicaid agency NOW.
- RESPOND to the Medicaid renewal form when it comes in the mail. If you don't, you may lose your coverage even if you are still eligible.
- PARENTS should respond even if you are not eligible or are enrolled in other coverage. Your children could still be eligible for coverage.
- CONNECT WITH RESOURCES THAT CAN HELP: If you lose Medicaid coverage and think you may still be eligible, there are programs that may be able to help you appeal the denial of Medicaid coverage or find other insurance. State protection and advocacy systems and legal advocacy organizations funded under the Older Americans Act may be able to help with appeals. Disabled people of all ages can also contact the Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) for assistance, and older adults can contact the Eldercare Locator to find local assistance.
- CHECK OTHER OPTIONS: If you are no longer eligible for Medicaid, you should check to see if you can get coverage through your employer or through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace at healthcare.gov. Older adults and people with disabilities who are eligible for Medicare can also find assistance through their State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). SHIP is a national program that offers one-on-one assistance, counseling, and education to Medicare beneficiaries of all ages, their families, and caregivers to help them make informed decisions about their care and benefits.
- Many people don’t realize they have Medicaid coverage if it goes by another name in their state, and may not realize that they need to look for renewal information: Find links to your state Medicaid agency.
Here are more important resources to check out:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a variety of materials that you can use to ensure your communities and networks have this important information. For example, their communications toolkit — available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese — contains important messages and sample materials (like drop-in articles, social media messages, and flyers) for states and other partners to use. CMS has also created a variety of fact sheets, including one with a variety of suggestions for things you can do to help keep people covered.
Finally, in a recent letter to U.S. governors, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra urged states to adopt all options HHS has offered to help eligible individuals and families maintain their health coverage during unwinding. Your advocacy can play an important role in implementing these options.
Don’t wait – act now!