Currently, states are maintaining continuous enrollment of all Medicaid enrollees as a condition of receiving enhanced federal funding under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. When states resume standard redetermination processes at the end of the public health emergency (PHE) and are unable to renew an individual’s eligibility using available data sources, Medicaid/CHIP programs will send paper notices requesting that the enrollee provide documentation or additional information that will help to verify continued eligibility.

However, the PHE has exacerbated housing instability, and many individuals have moved, leaving Medicaid and CHIP agencies without updated mailing address information. As they prepare for the end of the PHE and Medicaid continuous coverage, states are looking for additional and more nimble ways to reach Medicaid and CHIP enrollees to encourage them to update their contact information and remind them to reply promptly to renewal requests.

In a new expert perspective for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program, Manatt Health examines texting as one effective way to remind individuals to update their contact information and to respond to requests for information.

To read the full expert perspective, click here.