FOR ANTIGO TIMES

Aspirus Health would like to remind community members that states have started the process of checking everyone’s eligibility for Medicaid for the first time in three years. A federal provision that previously suspended Medicaid renewal (enrollment) requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic ended as of March 31, 2023.

The Medicaid renewal period is underway and will continue through May 2024. State agencies are sending letters outlining the actions that must be taken to renew eligibility and avoid a loss in Medicaid coverage to anyone enrolled in health, dental, and/or vision insurance through a Medicaid state program for themselves or their dependents. This includes anyone with coverage through Wisconsin’s BadgerCare Plus or the Healthy Michigan Plan.

The timing of the letters and renewal deadlines varies based on when you initially qualified for Medicaid.

In Wisconsin, letters were sent to impacted individuals by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in late March or early April informing them of their renewal month.  Wisconsin Medicaid recipients can check their renewal month online at access.wi.gov or through the MyACCESS app. Individuals will receive a renewal packet the month prior to their renewal. In Michigan, the Department of Health and Human Services is sending awareness letters and renewal packets according to each individual’s renewal month.

Individuals typically lose Medicaid coverage if they start making too much money to qualify for the program, gain health care coverage through their employer or move into a new state. Initial data tracked by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicate that individuals across multiple states are predominantly losing Medicaid coverage because they are not fully completing the renewal process, not because they are ineligible.  

Aspirus Health advises anyone with Medicaid coverage to ensure you have current contact information on file with your state agency and to take immediate action as directed. Individuals or their dependents who no longer qualify for a Medicaid program have up to 60 days from the loss of coverage to enroll in alternative insurance.