Gov. Edwards Urges Medicaid Members to Take Action to Avoid Losing Coverage SPECIAL TO

Gov. Edwards Urges Medicaid Members to Take Action to Avoid Losing Coverage SPECIAL TO

Published 1:43 am Wednesday, April 5, 2023

By special.to

BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards released a new public service announcement (PSA) urging Medicaid members to take action so they do not risk losing their coverage.

In April 2023, Medicaid will re-start eligibility reviews for each member. These eligibility reviews typically happen annually but were paused due to COVID-19.

Medicaid will begin sending letters and renewal packets to determine if a recipient is still eligible and will continue reviewing over a 12-month time frame. It will take 14 months to complete the Medicaid eligibility reviews, so not all members will receive letters from Medicaid at the same time. When members do receive their letters, it is critical they reply right away.

Medicaid members should update all of their contact information, including their mailing address, phone number, cell phone number and email address, to be sure they do not miss important information from Medicaid about their health coverage.

"We want all Louisianans who are eligible for Medicaid to stay covered," said Gov. Edwards. "Make no mistake, reaching out to more than 2 million Medicaid members over the next 14 months will be a massive undertaking. This is a top priority for the Louisiana Department of Health and my entire administration and we will do everything we can to remove practical barriers and meet members where they are, but it is going to take all of us to be successful. We need everyone's help in raising awareness of the return of Medicaid renewals."

"Louisiana Medicaid is going to determine eligibility for as many members as it can using electronic data sources, but we do expect we will be asking nearly one million members to take action to renew their coverage," said Louisiana Medicaid Executive Director Tara LeBlanc. "It is vital that Medicaid members ensure Medicaid has all of their current contact information on file so that they do not miss important information from us and risk losing their coverage."

Members can visit www.healthy.la.gov to learn how to update their contact information. There are several, convenient ways to make changes to your contact information, including:

* Logging on to MyMedicaid.la.gov

* Emailing [email protected]

* Calling your health plan on the number on your ID card

* Calling Medicaid's Customer Service Center at 1-888-342-6207. Assistance is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

* In-person help is available at all regional Medicaid offices. For the nearest office, visit ldh.la.gov/medicaidoffices

If you are no longer eligible for Medicaid, Medicaid will send you a letter letting you know and will share information on how to find the right low-cost health insurance for you.