To see if you are still enrolled:
For those unsure about how the changes will impact their coverage, a network of navigators has been established to walk people through the steps to remain on Medicaid, or how to sign up for another healthcare plan if they no longer qualify. “It’s just so important that everybody try to get the word out about this,” Higgins said. For help navigating Medicaid changes or to update your contact information, call the Family & Social Services Administration hotline at 800-403-0864 or visit FSSABenefits. IN.gov.
INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosiers heading to the doctor or emergency room who are enrolled in Medicaid could be in for a very unpleasant surprise in the coming months.
Hundreds of thousands of Indiana residents are set to lose their Medicaid coverage — and many of them have no clue.
For the last three years, a federal rule has allowed people to stay on Medicaid during the pandemic without proving their eligibility.
That protection ends April 1, requiring everyone to submit current information about their household and income to prove they meet the eligibility requirements to stay covered.
In Indiana, where one out of every three residents are on Medicaid, that’s a huge problem, according to Doris Higgins, a director at Covering Kids & Families of Indiana, a nonprofit that offers free help with healthcare coverage.
“We’re really concerned,” she said. “People are going to go to the doctor or emergency room because their child has a broken arm and find out they don’t have coverage.”
The good news is that Indiana has continued to do renewals and determine eligibility over the last year for around 75% of Hoosier Medicaid recipients.
The bad news is that leaves around 500,000 recipients in the dark about their coverage, Higgins explained.
Indiana has been pushing for months to get the message to those who need to reapply by sending out letters and text messages, but recipients who moved during the pandemic or changed phone numbers won’t receive those messages.
Others who got a better- paying job or whose household size went down in the last three years might no longer meet edibility requirements and get dropped from coverage without knowing it. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the ending of Medicaid protection on April 1 presents the single largest health coverage transition event since open enrollment started under the Affordable Care Act.
Now, with the April 1 deadline looming, every state is launching campaigns and approving plans to reach those who could lose coverage.
Indiana is doing better than some states at getting the word out, according to Higgins, but the task still proves daunting.
That’s why her nonprofit has joined 30 other agencies and organizations to spread the news about changes to Medicaid enrollment.
Their message is straightforward.
Recipients should make sure the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has their current contact information and should open their mail to ensure they don’t miss crucial information about renewing coverage.
© 2024 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.