HJBR Mar/Apr 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAR / APR 2023 51 Having a conversation with patients, cli- ents, and even your own family members and loved ones will go a long way toward bringing awareness to this issue. We want everyone who is eligible for Medicaid to keep their coverage. As we continue this process, LDH will launch a comprehensive, statewide out- reach and communications campaign to reach Medicaid members. In addition to mailed letters, Medicaid members who have shared a mobile telephone number will also receive text message reminders — a new ca- pability for Louisiana Medicaid. LDH will also utilize radio, TV, and digital advertising as well as on-site, in-person outreach to share information with Medicaid members in familiar community settings where peo- ple gather. As always, Medicaid will work collabora- tively with the managed care organizations (MCOs) that provide coverage for the ma- jority of the Medicaid population to amplify outreach and education efforts for members and those stakeholders (providers, commu- nity organizations, etc.) that serve them. We will do all of this and more, but we knowwe cannot do this alone. The next year will be a challenge, but I am confident that, together, we can ensure Louisianans who are eligible remain covered. n and community leaders — to make sure no one loses their Medicaid coverage if they remain eligible. Here is what you can do to help: • Make sure anyone who receives Med- icaid knows it is vital to ensure Medic- aid has their current mailing address, cellphone number, and email address on file. • Medicaid members can update their contact information in the following ways: • Logging on to MyMedicaid.la.gov. • Emailing MyMedicaid@la.gov. • Calling Medicaid’s customer service hotline at 1-888-342-6207. • Calling their health plan provider on the number on their ID card. • Visiting any of the regional Medicaid offices (tofindaMedicaidoffice, visit www.ldh.la.gov/medicaidoffices ). • Remind Medicaid members that they can start looking for renewal letters at the end of April and the beginning of May. If they do not receive a letter, that does not mean they do not have one coming —members should continue to watch for their letters, as these letters will go out in a staggered fashion over 12 months. Courtney N. Phillips, PhD Secretary Louisiana Department of Health THE Louisiana Department of Health is facing a major task in the next 13 months. Beginning in April, and continuing over the following 12 months, LDH will restart reviewing the eligibility of more than 2 million Medicaid members, including the more than 764,000 adults who are part of the Medicaid expansion population. We are doing this because in December 2022, President Biden signed a law that ends the continuous Medicaid coverage require- ment under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. During the federal public health emer- gency declared in March 2020, Medicaid was unable to remove individuals from the Medicaid rolls unless the individuals requested that Medicaid do so or if they moved out of the state or died. Over the 12-month period that we begin redetermin- ing eligibility, Medicaid will send letters to recipients requesting additional informa- tion. For those recipients who have elected to receive notices electronically, they will receive an email. We know from experience that Medicaid redeterminations can some- times be difficult if someone has not kept their personal information up to date, espe- cially if they have moved. That is where we could use everyone’s help — including hos- pitals, pharmacies, primary care providers,