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Medicaid Coverage Redeterminations
The federal mandate that prevented Medicaid members from losing coverage will end this spring.
In April, the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to announce the end to the COVID public health emergency (PHE). This will also put an end to the federal mandate that prevented Medicaid members from losing coverage during the pandemic. At that time, the Virginia Medicaid program will review all members' health coverage as it returns to a normal enrollment process. The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) must have members' current contact information in order to reach out to them about renewing their coverage.Community partners, government agencies, health plan administrators, and health clinic staff who work with or serve Medicaid members can use the Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) Unwinding Toolkit to ensure Medicaid members have the information they need to maintain their coverage. Use these messages and templates to reach out to members through flyers, posters, phone messages, social media posts, website updates, and email newsletters. DMAS will continue to add resources to this toolkit as new federal guidance becomes available.
Almost 500,000 Virginians enrolled in Medicaid since the pandemic began. Many will continue to be eligible when the PHE ends, but others may not meet the eligibility criteria. Some people, often those from intentionally marginalized groups, such as those for whom English is a second language, risk falling through the “care gap” and losing Medicaid coverage, limiting their access to health care.
DMAS wants to ensure as many eligible Virginians as possible remain covered after the PHE ends. Help Medicaid members update their contact information by going online to commonhelp.virginia.gov, call Cover Virginia at 1-855-242-8282, or call their local Department of Social Services. Wait times at Medicaid call centers may increase as members call to update their information.
