The federal pandemic policy that guaranteed Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents is coming to an end.
Generally, people receiving Medicaid (known as HUSKY in Connecticut) go through an annual process to see if they are eligible for the program. However, during the pandemic, the federal government enacted a policy known as “continuous registration.” This was to prevent states from kicking people out of Medicaid even if they were disqualified or failed to renew their credentials.
However, on March 31st, continuous enrollment will end and a one-year process called “rolling back” will begin. This process will require everyone whose Medicaid coverage has been extended as part of the public health emergency to have their eligibility re-evaluated. In Connecticut, approximately 434,000 residents have had their Medicaid coverage extended at some point in the last three years under ongoing eligibility rules.
Senator Matthew Lesser (D-Middletown), chairman of the Human Services Committee, said:
How does “rewind” work?
At a forum with the Welfare and Insurance Commission in early February, Social Services Director Peter Hadler presented lawmakers with the agency’s rollback plan.
Hadler said once the rollback began, DSS would need to process about 45,179 household renewals each month, representing a nearly 70% increase over the volume of renewals the agency made last year. increase.
But DSS has improved its ability to issue “passive updates,” Hudler said. This will allow agents to automatically update Medicaid coverage using data from the CT Department of Labor and his IRS. Passive renewals allow people to maintain their Medicaid coverage without taking any action.
In an interview with CT Mirror, Hadler said, “We expect many people to be able to passively renew as the passive renewal process has been enhanced for the rewind period.
Sixty days prior to an individual’s renewal date, the state will passively attempt to renew coverage. If this process is successful, the recipient will receive a notification that their coverage has been updated and no further action is required.
DSS estimates that approximately 70% of households in need of renewal will be able to passively renew their coverage.
If the state cannot passively renew coverage, the person must receive a pre-filled renewal application form in the mail 45 days prior to the renewal date and complete it online, by phone, or on paper.
Even if the state could “passively” handle most renewals, this would mean that about 13,000 households a month would have to manually renew their Medicaid coverage through Access Health CT.
potential challenges
Representatives of community health centers, which play a major role in helping people apply for Medicaid, shared concerns that the system wouldn’t be able to handle the large number of updates it had to process during the rollback.
Gilda DiScala, Certified Application Counselor at Fair Haven, said: The Community Health Center told lawmakers at a forum in early February.
According to Discala, it can take an hour to two hours to complete a single update through the Access Health CT portal. When she tries to help a patient complete an update online, most of the time the system kicks in and prompts her to call Access Health CT directly to complete the application, further delaying the process.
“Our patients know us, they trust us, they come to us, and we want to help them,” she said. I got
Hadler said DSS has hired more than 100 new staff to help with operations. The agency is also increasing the number of contract staff to support its shared duties with Access Health CT, such as call centers and data entry.
Lesser said he was worried about letting people know they might have to renew their coverage in the first place.
“It’s going to be a real challenge to connect with people and make sure that people in need of health insurance, people in need of health care, can’t live without it,” Lesser said.
DSS and Access Health CT are running a campaign called “Update Us so we can Update U”. The campaign includes print and digital advertising, as well as direct mail and automated phone campaigns.
Who is at Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage?
According to Hudler, adults with HUSKY A (covering low-income children and their parents and relatives of caregivers) and HUSKY D (covering low-income adults without dependents) are at the highest risk of losing their Medicaid coverage because their income exceeds it. eligibility restrictions.
But even those who are no longer eligible for Medicaid still have the option of low-cost or free health insurance offered by the state.
About 51% of disqualified HUSKY A participants are eligible for an additional year of HUSKY coverage through a program called Transitional Medical Assistance. Others who are above the HUSKY income limit but below the federal poverty level of 175% can also qualify for the free plan through Covered CT. People can also purchase low-cost insurance through qualified health plans.
Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget bill includes several initiatives aimed at leveling the impact of unwinding. This includes $34.4 million to support the expected growth of the Covered CT program and his $10 million in ARPA funds to pay his two-month premiums for individuals with incomes between 175 and 200. included. $4.7 million to support her FPL percentage enrolled in the Access HealthCT Silver Plan, and costs associated with rewinding.
