‘Continuous Coverage’ Provided During the Pandemic Ends March 31
Near North Health Suggests Taking Action to Avoid Losing Medicaid Benefits
Chicago – March 31, 2023 – Low-income adults, children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities who are covered by Medicaid will need to renew their benefit eligibility when the policy of “continuous coverage” put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end March 31, 2023. Near North Health (NNH), where approximately 50% of patients are covered by Medicaid, is in the process of helping those affected take action to keep their coverage in place.
Medicaid, a comprehensive health insurance program that covers about 3.9 million people in Illinois, is jointly funded and managed through a partnership between the federal government and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (IDHFS). Congress changed Medicaid to deal with the pandemic by giving states extra federal funding to keep customers enrolled, even if they might no longer be eligible.
Redetermination: What Medicaid Patients Need to Do to Reapply for Benefits
With the end of the declared ‘public health emergency’, Illinois will resume the process of redetermination for Medicaid coverage eligibility. NNH is actively encouraging patients to update their address at Medicaid.illinois.gov to make sure they get their renewal letter and take action when that letter arrives. Outreach methods to NNH patients about the Medicaid renewal process include social media, texting, and phone calls. NNH Insurance Coordinators are also working with patients who need assistance.
“During the public health emergency, a lot of people were added to Medicaid and many states expanded Medicaid to cover people. So, we’re in the process of making sure that our patients who are on Medicaid are checking their addresses and answering the mail,” said Dr. Tristé Lieteau Smith, NNH Chief Executive Officer.
IDHFS will send the first renewal letters in May 2023, affecting patients whose coverage is due to renew in June 2023. Patients can find their specific renewal date at the ‘Manage My Case’ tab at abe.illinois.gov with the due date visible in the ‘Benefit Details’ tab. Patients who do not submit a renewal, or if they no longer qualify, may lose coverage one month after their renewal due date. Patients may reapply, but it may take up to 3 months for benefits to resume.
“We anticipate that a number of people will be ineligible after submitting their renewal materials,” Dr. Smith said. “The redetermination process may result in lost revenue for NNH and denial of service for patients. It is important to note that NNH has no plan to deny service, but specialty and hospital care may not be accessible for patients if they lose benefits.”
Medicaid benefits can include primary care; behavioral health; specialty and inpatient care; care management; preventive care such as vaccines; pre-natal care; child and adolescent care; social determinants of health (SDOH) assistance.
For patients no longer eligible for Medicaid, it is important to quickly get other health insurance during a 60 day “special enrollment period”. Contact your employer about health insurance or visit the official Affordable Care Act marketplace for Illinois at GetCoveredIllinois.gov.
About Near North Health.
Near North Health is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and one of the largest providers of community-based primary health care in Chicago. We provide medical services, social services, and nutrition education to uninsured and underinsured individuals and families. Our philosophy reflects a commitment to providing access to innovative healthcare no matter where one comes from, what they look like or how long it’s been since they last saw a doctor. Additional information about our mission and services is available at www.nearnorthhealth.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lisa Ripson
Ripson Group
Lisa.ripson@ripsongroup.com
(312) 493-5921 (o)
(312) 952-7394 (m)
Twitter: @LisaRipson
Chris Comes
Ripson Group
Chris.comes@ripsongroup.com
(312) 493-5921 (o)
(312) 282-0539 (m)
Twitter: @ChrisComes