First Illinois Medicaid renewal letters go out this week, with health care coverage for hundreds of thousands at stake [Chicago Tribune]

More than 100,000 Illinois residents will receive the first round of letters this week about how to hold on to their Medicaid health coverage amid federal changes that could lead to many getting kicked out of the program.

The state is sending out an initial 113,600 letters that will tell people what actions they need to take, if any, to stay on Medicaid. Medicaid is a state and federally funded health insurance program for people with low incomes and disabilities, covering about 3.9 million people in Illinois.

People who receive the letters will have until June 1 to submit proof that they still qualify for the program. If they don’t, they could lose coverage by July 1.

Illinois is renewing Medicaid coverage for people on a rolling basis through mid-2024, meaning additional rounds of letters will be mailed each month to additional people on Medicaid, and they will have their own deadlines to meet. About half of those who receive letters this month won’t have to do anything because the state has enough information about them to renew their coverage automatically, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference Monday.

“We’ve been preparing for this moment for many, many months now,” Pritzker said. “We are committed to making this process as smooth and efficient as possible so every Illinoisan knows options available to them.”

This is the first time in about three years that people on Medicaid have had to take action to renew their coverage. Before the pandemic, Medicaid recipients had to prove annually that they were still eligible for Medicaid in order to keep it. But during the pandemic, the federal government told states to pause that requirement — a move meant to help as many people as possible keep health coverage.

As the pandemic subsided last year, federal lawmakers decided continuous enrollment in Medicaid was no longer needed, and they passed a new bill ending that provision on March 31 of this year.

States across the country, including Illinois, are now beginning the immense task of restarting so-called Medicaid redeterminations.

The federal government has estimated that about 700,000 people in Illinois may lose Medicaid coverage as redeterminations resume, in some cases because they’re no longer eligible, and in other cases, because they don’t fill out the paperwork on time. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has pegged that number lower, at about 384,000 Illinois residents, because of its efforts to help eligible people keep their coverage.

Pritzker and other state leaders encouraged Illinois Medicaid recipients to keep an eye on their mailboxes, and to make sure the state has their current contact information and addresses. Illinois residents can go to abe.illinois.gov to verify their addresses and see when their renewals are due. People can also call 800-843-6154 for help with renewals.

In Illinois, individuals who make up to $1,366 a month can qualify for Medicaid.

Those who are no longer eligible will receive information about where else they might get coverage, such as through an employer or through healthcare.gov, where people can buy often-subsidized insurance plans.

The state has been working to spread the word about Medicaid renewals through a campaign launched in March called “Ready to Renew,” which includes print, digital and broadcast messages, and by hiring additional staff to help with the renewal process. Many Illinois health centers have also been reaching out to their Medicaid patients in recent months to make sure they’ve updated their addresses with the state and are ready to submit paperwork.

“In Illinois, we have a huge priority to ensure that every customer who remains eligible stays eligible,” said Theresa Eagleson, director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, at the news conference.

Nationally, most other states are ending Medicaid coverage earlier than Illinois for those who no longer qualify or don’t fill out required paperwork, according to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The resumption of Medicaid redeterminations across the country is “the most significant coverage event for health care since the onset of the Affordable Care Act,” said Dan Tsai, a deputy administrator and director at CMS, during a call with reporters Monday.

©2023 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.