On Wednesday, May 25th at 12:00 PM ET, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host the first of a monthly partner education series on Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Enrollment Unwinding. Over the COVID-19 public health emergency, the federal government eased rules to prevent people with Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from losing their health coverage during the pandemic. However, soon states will be required to restart Medicaid and CHIP eligibility reviews, meaning that millions of people could lose their health coverage due to procedural reasons. HHS and CMS are working to ensure that people continue to have coverage.
In an effort to minimize the number of people that lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage, CMS is working with states and other stakeholders to inform people about renewing their coverage and exploring other available health insurance options if they no longer qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. CMS views Medicaid and CHIP continuous enrollment unwinding as 2 phases:
Phase 1: Prepare for the renewal process and educate Medicaid and CHIP enrollees about the upcoming changes. (HAPPENING NOW)
Phase 2: Ensure Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries take the necessary steps to renew coverage, and transition to other coverage if they’re no longer eligible for Medicaid or CHIP.
The Biden-Harris Administration has committed to provide states 60 days of notice before any planned expiration or termination of the Public Health Emergency.
This call will provide background information on the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirements, efforts underway to connect people to coverage, discuss strategies to engage people with Medicaid and CHIP, and review resources currently available for partners to begin sharing information on preparing for the Medicaid and CHIP redetermination process with their audiences. This will be the first in a monthly call series.
