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ATTENTION MEDICAID RECIPIENTS:

Reminder about Important Changes to Medicaid or CHIP Eligibility

In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily waived certain Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) requirements and conditions to help prevent people with Medicaid and CHIP from losing their health coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, states can now restart Medicaid and CHIP eligibility reviews. If Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries do not take action and complete the procedural requirements to prove their eligibility in a timely fashion, they will be disenrolled from those programs. As of now, all states and the District of Columbia have started the disenrollment process.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has a Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker [votervoice.net] that shows over 9.5 million people have been disenrolled as of October 26, 2023, based on data from 50 states and the District of Columbia. The vast majority of disenrollments appear to be due to procedural reasons rather than people being ineligible. In mid-October, 30 national patient and consumer organizations,  sent a letter to the agency to release additional, timely information about the mitigation strategies that states are implementing to help protect access to Medicaid and CHIP coverage.

It continues to be vitally important that members of the epilepsy community who rely on these programs be vigilant and take action to avoid losing their health coverage. If you or a family member currently have health coverage through Medicaid or CHIP, you may need to take steps to find out if you can continue your coverage. Here are some things you can do to prepare:

• Make sure your address is up to date. Make sure your state Medicaid or CHIP program has your current mailing address, phone number, email, or other contact information. This way, they’ll be able to contact you about your Medicaid or CHIP coverage.

• Check and open your mail. Your state Medicaid or CHIP program will mail you a letter about your Medicaid or CHIP coverage. This letter will also let you know if you need to complete a renewal form to see if you still qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. If you get a renewal form, fill it out and return it to your state right away. This may help you avoid a gap in your coverage.

If your child no longer qualifies for Medicaid, you may be able to get them health coverage through your state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). If you or a family member no longer qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, you may be able to buy a health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace®. Losing Medicaid or CHIP coverage is a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), which allows you to enroll in a Marketplace plan outside of the Open Enrollment Period. Visit HealthCare.gov [healthcare.gov] to find Marketplace plans and see if you might save on premiums. When you apply, don’t forget to include current information about your household, income, and your state’s recent decision about your Medicaid or CHIP coverage.

To get more information, please contact your state Medicaid office [votervoice.net] or visit Medicaid.gov [medicaid.gov] for more information about Medicaid or CHIP renewal. You can also call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 to get details about Marketplace coverage (TTY users can call 1-855-889-4325