Starting April 1st Millions Will be Losing Medicaid

In early 2020, Congress put into place protections for people enrolled in Medicaid to ensure that they were able to stay covered during the COVID-19 pandemic. This policy, called the continuous coverage requirement, was originally linked to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). However, an omnibus spending bill enacted in December 2022 severs this link and instead sets March 31, 2023, as the end of the continuous coverage requirement, regardless of whether the PHE remains in effect.

​States will need to “Unwind” the continuous coverage requirement by reviewing the eligibility of every person enrolled in Medicaid in each state. States have 12 months to initiate eligibility reviews of all their enrollees and can start reviews in February, March, or April. They can begin terminating coverage for people they determine are no longer eligible for Medicaid starting on March 31st 2023. There are a number of challenges Medicaid enrollees could face during the unwinding process, and millions of people are expected to lose their Medicaid coverage as a result.

Many of these enrollees who know longer qualify for Medicaid will qualify for health coverage under the "ACA Health Insurance Marketplace". The CMS has announced "A Special Enrollment Period" that will stretch from March 31, 2023 to July 31, 2024. This "Special Enrollment" means anyone that qualifies for coverage cannot be turned down due to a pre-existing condition or medication they are on. In order to be eligible for the special enrollment period, individuals must be eligible for Affordable Care Act Marketplace health coverage and must have lost their Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Basic Health Program (BHP) coverage.

Our agency is a local "ACA Health Insurance Marketplace Agency" in Upstate SC located in Pickens County. If you know of someone who maybe losing their Medicaid coverage, please have them contact our office. Remember our services are "Free" when helping enroll someone into marketplace coverage.