Medicaid continuous enrollment provision ends. Here's what happens next
3:31
AP
A sign points visitors toward the financial services department at a hospital. Medicaid coverage will end for millions of Americans in 2023, and that pushes many into unfamiliar territory: the health insurance marketplace.
Hundreds of thousands of Floridians stand to lose Medicaid after a provision that allowed for continuous enrollment in the program ended Saturday. The program began at the start of the pandemic.
Millions of Floridians stand to lose Medicaid after a provision that allowed for continuous enrollment in the program ended Saturday.
The provision was first launched in 2020 to help Americans who were losing their jobs retain health insurance during the beginning of the public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The continuous enrollment Medicaid provision ended Saturday. Now, the Florida Department of Children and Families is tasked with reaching out to Floridians and informing them of their ineligible status. The first round of yellow-striped envelopes was sent out in March and will continue to be sent over the next 14 months.
Who is losing Medicaid?
The first to lose Medicaid benefits could come at the end of April, which could include adults and kids.
In Florida, it actually covers about two-thirds of children," said Joan Alker, director of the Center for Children and Families. "I know when we hear Medicare we think of seniors but I'm not sure everybody thinks of children when they hear Medicaid.
Currently, there are 5.5 million people on Florida Medicaid. That's up from 3.8 million prior to the pandemic. DCF will begin its redetermination process with those who have not accessed their Medicaid benefits in the last year, which is about 900,000 cases.
In total, there are about 1.75 million cases that are at the highest risk of losing Medicaid, according to state data. However, all 5.5 million people will be reviewed for redetermination, Alker said, but it will be children who are the hardest hit.
Potentially 3 million children will be affected by the redetermination process, Alker said. However, some of those kids will actually be eligible -- while their parents lose coverage, their kids may still qualify.
That could happen due to different income requirements for adults.
Why there could be mistakes
Parents could run into issues if they find the letters confusing, or if they don't speak English and require a translation, Alker said.
"A lot of their parents are probably no longer going to be eligible because Florida hasn't expanded Medicaid," she said. "What happens a lot of times, particularly if the notice isn't clear, is the parents are gonna think the child is also not eligible anymore. We're very worried about that, that we could lose children even though they'll remain eligible.
To avoid confusion, the department will be sending a different envelope to each member of the family informing them of their status, said Anne Packham, director of the Primary Care Access Network.
"Some families will want to be looking out for more than one envelope," she said.
A path to coverage
Even if adults or children are kicked off Medicaid, theres still a path to coverage.
The state's estimating conference projected 100,000 kids will need to move from Medicaid to Healthy Kids in Florida, part of the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Children could be eligible for Florida Kid Care, which would cost families about $15 to $20 a month, Packham said.
"For people who are making a little bit more money for parents making more money, DCF will automatically forward a child's Medicaid application to Kid Care for review," she said.
Adults would have a path through the Affordable Care Acts marketplace, which will have a special enrollment period through July 2024.
If they come to the marketplace, there's a, there's a fairly good chance they would get a plan for free. I think there's some statistic like four to five people in the country can get a plan for $10 or less.
Why calling can be difficult
The key is understanding your status. Packham recommends checking with DCF that addresses are updated. Residents can check their status either by going
Monday, April 3, 2023 at 11:47 am