On March 3, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a State Health Official letter, "Promoting Continuity of Coverage and Distributing Eligibility and Enrollment Workload in Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Basic Health Program (BHP) Upon Conclusion of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency." The highly anticipated guidance clarifies CMS expectations for state Medicaid and CHIP agencies as they prepare to process outstanding eligibility and enrollment actions when the federal Medicaid continuous coverage requirement ends.
When continuous enrollment discontinues, states will resume the administration of renewals for Medicaid eligibility, some of which have been pending for two years. Nearly 85 million people currently enrolled in Medicaid will have their eligibility redetermined, triggering a high risk of coverage loss for eligible individuals due to administrative reasons.
In "New CMS Guidance on Expectations for Unwinding Federal Medicaid Continuous Coverage," an Expert Perspective prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's State Health and Value Strategies program, Manatt Health summarizes key takeaways laid out in the new guidance related to timelines and operational strategies that states can leverage to mitigate churn and ensure eligible individuals remain enrolled in Medicaid coverage.
To read the full summary, click here.
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