ALERT: Medicaid Unwinding Takes Effect April 1st 2023

You may have received a message or heard that there are changes coming to Medicaid that may impact your coverage. Some are calling it the Medicaid Unwinding or Medicaid Disenrollment.

When COVID hit in early 2020, the government enacted a law that required every state to keep Medicaid protection in place until the end of the pandemic public health emergency. Since then, millions of people were able to enroll and/or continue their Medicaid coverage uninterrupted. On December 29, 2022 the government decided to end this requirement (the “continuous Medicaid enrollment” provision) for states, allowing them to begin “unwinding” Medicaid coverage for millions of people starting on February 1, 2023 for an effective disenrollment date of March 31, 2023.

Here are the five things you need to know about it and what you can do.

#1 – You Are Not Alone.

Healthcare advisories such as the Kaiser Family Foundation have estimated that 90 million people are covered under Medicaid programs across the country, an increase of nearly 20 million people since February 2020. The government further estimates that as many as 15 million people will be disenrolled in their Medicaid coverage this year.

#2 – The unwinding process is confusing.

Since Medicaid programs are run by each state independently, each state will have its own set of rules, regulations, and procedures for how to the disenrollment will be handled. The federal government has developed guidelines to help protect consumers, but staying on Medicaid will become more difficult, especially towards the end of 2023.

Have questions? Simply call 1-866-337-0636 to talk to a licensed health insurance agent.

#3 – It is happening fast.

With the new law, states can begin disenrolling Medicaid recipients in a renewal/redetermination process starting as early as February 1, 2023 with actual coverage ending as early as April 1, 2023. Since this is a state-by-state process, some states will move faster than others, it is important to understand your state’s eligibility requirements for redetermination. If you are no longer Medicaid-eligible under normal circumstances, your Medicaid coverage could end as early as April 1, 2023.

#4 – Affordable Coverage is Available.

Millions of people became eligible for Medicaid since March 2020 and are still enrolled even though they would no longer be considered eligible. For these people, there are at least two options for coverage: 1) obtaining employer-sponsored health plans or 2) finding an Obamacare marketplace health insurance plan. According to a study by the Urban Institute, 1/3 of these people will be eligible for tax credit subsidies toward a marketplace plan, and the other 2/3 can enroll in employee-sponsored plans that meet the government’s definition of “affordable health insurance.” The good news for people that are disenrolled in Medicaid is that they can enroll in a marketplace/Obamacare plan even if it is outside of the annual enrollment period. Being impacted by this change is considered a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) which means you can change health insurance plans.

Click here to enroll today >>

#5 – Going without Health Insurance is a horrible idea.

Unfortunately, a large number of people that are disenrolled from Medicaid will not take the simple steps to find a new health insurance plan. Medical debt is still the number one cause of bankruptcy and foregoing health insurance is the best way to protect yourself from this risk. In addition, federally approved health insurance plans all have essential benefits to ensure quality coverage, including preventative care, which might not be accessible otherwise. To make matters worse, health care providers usually charge higher rates to individuals that do not have coverage!

Finding a plan has never been easier, simply call us at 1-866-337-0636 or click here to find the right plan for you. It only takes a few minutes!