HJBR May/Jun 2023

50 MAY / JUN 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE COLUMN MEDICAID due to ineligibility went without health in- surance for at least part of the next year. MCOs and their provider partners can help mitigate loss of coverage by supporting collective efforts. For example, providers can help educate patients no longer eli- gible for Medicaid or CHIP about other coverage options through the Health In- surance Marketplace or Medicare. Even companies like Google are stepping up to help beneficiaries navigate the redetermi- nation process. When users search for a Medicaid-related term on Google, they’ll see a new Renewal tab that will include results on the renewal guidelines in their state as well as other information on Med- icaid such as contact information or the log-in to their state portal. FromMedicaid to marketplace Estimates predict as many as 300,000 people in Louisiana will no longer be eli- gible for Medicaid, making the transition to an employer-paid or Health Insurance Marketplace plan critical for continuous coverage. But many may not understand or know what’s available to them in the form of low-cost insurance options or that they most likely qualify for financial assis- tance in the form of tax credits and cost sharing reductions. Premium tax credits are provided to reduce Marketplace enrollees’ monthly payments for insurance coverage, and cost sharing reductions are designed to mini- mize their out-of-pocket costs when they campaign messaging is centered around the four primary ways enrollees can make changes to their contact information: • Log on to MyMedicaid.la.gov. • Email MyMedicaid@la.gov. • Call their Medicaid Health Plan at the number on their member ID card. • Call Medicaid’s Customer Service Center at 888-342-6207 (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). In addition, LDH has created a “Con- tact Information Form” to aid providers in assisting their Medicaid patients with up- dating their personal contact information: ldh.la.gov/assets/HealthyLa/Resources/ ContactInformationForm.pdf. Beginning in April and continuing over the next year before returning to regular, ongoing renewals, LDH will notify roughly 8.33% of all Healthy Louisiana Medicaid recipients each month (approximately 169,048 individuals) by mail of their im- pending renewal date — 60 days from the date of their letter. To ensure eligible indi- viduals remain covered and to limit cover- age losses for “procedural reasons,” LDH will delay disenrollment while attempts to contact enrollees through other channels are made. In addition, fair hearing requests may receive extended time frames before final administrative action is taken. Education and assistance Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study released in January showed that 65% of Medicaid recipients who lost coverage IN MY previous column, “The End of the COVID-19 PHE — Addressing Medicaid Redetermination When the Public Health Emergency Expires,” I predicted the PHE would not be reauthorized in January. As it relates to continuous Medicaid enroll- ment, I was both correct and incorrect. Because the Medicaid continuous cover- age requirement was “decoupled” from the public health emergency per the Con- solidated Appropriations Act signed Dec. 29, 2022, it ended March 31. However, the PHE remains in effect (and is expected to expire by the publication of this column). The end of continuous enrollment will be the single largest health coverage tran- sition event since the first marketplace open enrollment following enactment of the Affordable Care Act and represents significant health equity implications. But as it relates to the 12-month “unwinding” period of Medicaid continuous coverage in Louisiana, LDH, their managed care partners, and community organizations across the state have been working closely to prevent and reduce confusion, coverage disruptions, and eligibility loss. Ongoing outreach The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) as well as the Managed Care Or- ganizations (MCOs) have been — and will continue — urging enrollees to update and maintain their current contact information so they receive important reminders when it’s time to renew. The ongoing outreach THE END OF THE COVID-19 PHE Part 2: The Beginning of the Unwind