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. Many states have also paused renewals and disenrollments for their Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees. Both actions aim to ensure continuity of coverage and access to health care services for low-income people during the pandemic. States’ authority to maintain continuous coverage for Medicaid/CHIP enrollees is currently slated to expire at the end of December 2021, when the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends.

At that time, states will resume normal eligibility and enrollment processes, including redetermining eligibility. This means that people currently enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP are at risk of losing their coverage unless state agencies take steps to update enrollee mailing addresses and other contact information.

In a new expert perspective for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program, Manatt Health examines the IT system, policy and operational strategies states can consider to update key enrollee contact information in order to ensure eligible enrollees are able to keep their existing health coverage or transition to new, affordable health coverage at the end of the PHE.

To read the full expert perspective, click here.