How some granite statesmen could miss the Medicaid public health emergency
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While the conclusion of the federal public health emergency is unclear, thousands of Granite Stater could lose their Medicaid coverage when it ends, state officials said Wednesday.
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Protections in the federal statement mean that Granite Stater does not have to prove their eligibility to remain covered by Medicaid. When the federal public health emergency ends, these eligibility requirements will be re-implemented.
Most people who are at risk of losing their coverage have expired forms or missing information. A smaller number is no longer eligible for the program when the protections expire.
Medicaid enrollment in New Hampshire has risen by about 30 per cent since the start of pandemic protections.
Growth has been most significant in the Granite Advantage program, which is the expansion of Medicaid for low-income residents.
State officials on Wednesday estimated in a call with more than 200 health care providers and community members that 86,000 Granite Staters are at risk of losing their coverage when the federal public health emergency ends. That’s 37 percent of the people in the state currently with Medicaid.
To alert people who are at risk of losing coverage, the state continues to send pink forms to Medicaid users, urging people to enter their information into the state as soon as possible. Forms also exist virtually, if people have an NH Easy account.
Getting information now, officials say, can help secure coverage after federal protections end. The federal government will notify New Hampshire at least 60 days before the end of the public health emergency.
Virtual call from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services on 19/01/2022.
37 percent of people in the state currently with Medicaid are at risk of losing coverage when the federal public health emergency ends.
But some people will lose their coverage when protection ends because they no longer meet the requirements.
Jeremy Smith and Elias Ashooh, who run the two state insurance browsing programs, say interested people can contact them for help finding other insurance options and avoiding a gap in coverage. medical insurance.
State-employed workers have also begun calling some Medicaid recipients at risk of losing coverage, focusing on long-term care residents and people with disabilities. Phone calls have a significantly higher success rate than paper forms, state officials said.
New Hampshire Medicaid Director Henry Lipman said the state has received new funding to hire more staff to help with telephone services. Some at Wednesday’s meeting noted the difficulty their clients have in communicating with the department with questions.
“We’re dealing with the shortage of manpower in terms of existing staff,” Lipman said. “But we are doing our best to improve this service.”
Lipman and other officials expect the volume of calls to increase further when the public health emergency is over and urge people to avoid waiting until then to recertify.
Typically, program Granite Stateters must complete an annual redetermination form, and other qualification criteria, such as income, must be certified even more often.
This means that some Granite Stater are constantly losing and regaining coverage, especially those who can work seasonal jobs where their income fluctuates. This “return” has been largely halted, with administrative barriers to keeping coverage still paused.
In some cases, people have lost their coverage during this period of protection when they should not. State officials say they encourage people to contact if they believe this has been the case.
If people have any questions, they can email the department directly at continuedcoverage@dhhs.nh.gov or call 603-271-9700.
