By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
A federal rule that prevented states from removing people from Medicaid during the pandemic will end March 31, and some may lose health coverage if they no longer meet current guidelines, a Sitka health care expert says.
However, those who do lose Medicaid will have a special enrollment period to get health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, Susan Briles, Patient Health Benefits manager at SEARHC, told the Sentinel.
Prior to the pandemic rule, Medicaid users were required to renew their applications annually. That process goes back into effect April 1, and then coverage will depend on the applicants’ state of residency and income compared to the federal poverty level. For an individual in Alaska, the cutoff is $2,019 of monthly income, or 138 percent of the poverty level. That threshold is higher for children and pregnant women, and scales with the size of a household. Alaska Medicaid eligibility standards are posted at https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1619.
Beginning April 1, Medicare renewal applications will be mailed out for the first time since 2020, Briles said.
“For the last two years through the pandemic, Medicaid has been what they call ‘rolling,’ just meaning it’s continuing,” said Briles. “This is a federal unwinding, it’s just happening all at the same time in different states. The thought is a lot of people are on Medicaid that shouldn’t be on Medicaid now, because maybe they’re making more money, or they’ve had other situation changes.”
In the event someone no longer qualifies for Medicaid, there will be an enrollment period for insurance from the Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace. For Sitkans in that situation, Briles said the best option is to call her office for assistance.
“(If) you lose Medicaid, because you’re making too much money now, you’re going to get a notice saying within the next 30 days, you’re going to lose your Medicaid coverage.” Briles said. “... You would call me and we could enroll you through the Health Insurance Marketplace.” Coverage under the ACA would start when Medicaid coverage lapses, she said.
After receiving a Medicaid renewal form, an Alaskan has 60 days to fill out the form and return it to the Division of Public Assistance. However, that’s where Briles expects some difficulty. The department is “very, very backlogged,” she said, and application processing that used to take a day is more than a month behind schedule.
“The Division of Public Assistance is still processing applications we submitted last year… Right now they’re registering cases from February,” she said.
In January the nonprofit news organization Alaska Beacon reported that state delays in processing food stamp applications is causing many Alaskans to go hungry.
Briles said that if someone currently on Medicaid is over 65 and will lose their coverage as the program unwinds they can apply for a Medicare Supplement Policy, which she described as “amazing.”
She urged Sitkans to ensure that their contact information for Medicaid and with the Alaska Division of Public Assistance is up to date.
“As long as the Division of Public Assistance has your accurate information, you’re going to get your renewal sometime between April (2023) and June of 2024,” Briles said. “… And as long as you complete the renewal and submit it to the Division of Public Assistance, you’re going to be fine, because either you’re going to stay on Medicaid, or you need to transition to a different program… It’s going to be an easy transition, and we are here to help you with it.”
Once they receive confirmation that they will lose their Medicaid coverage, people can call Briles at (855) 966-8684 to schedule an appointment to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace.
