Medicaid COVID expansion nears end
Nearly 1 million people across
That's because
As a result, 1.7 million more residents used Medicaid to get dental care, X-rays and pay for doctor's visits as COVID-19 affected their ability to work and stay healthy. A total of 5.5 million Floridians depend on Medicaid for health insurance.
But with the
Starting
The process is likely to create confusion and frustration, according to
"As of
"Additionally, people who have been enrolled in Medicaid since before the pandemic may have moved or not updated their contact or financial information, which could cause them to lose coverage — even though they remain eligible. This 'churn' has the potential to affect the millions of Floridians who rely on Medicaid for their health care," Li added.
Who qualifies for Medicaid?
The state program covers children up to 5 years old if they're living in households that make up to
But adults under 65 with no children are ineligible regardless of their income, as are parents who earn more than
This creates a problem because people living below the federal poverty line — making less than
And that leaves
A 2012 Supreme Court ruling scrapped the national Medicaid expansion mandate and left it up to states to decide.
The optional expansion extended coverage to nearly all adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level and provided states with federal dollars for local expansion, according to the
To date, 39 states and the
State
But when
As Floridians brace for changes to health care coverage, other parts of the social safety net expanded in response to COVID-19 have been rolled back.
In
Just one month later, a temporary 15% increase to SNAP benefits authorized by
That left families with much less support when buying groceries just as food prices skyrocketed. After
This month, the 32 states still paying emergency allotments also ended the program, leaving families across the
Every SNAP household saw at least
What will happen if you lose health care coverage
If you are no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage, you will be notified by message to your online account, and sent a letter and/or an email, according to the
People eligible for different health care coverage programs may automatically be referred to Florida KidCare, a low-cost health coverage program for children based on family income, or the Medically Needy Program, which allows Medicaid coverage after the policyholder meets a monthly payment limit determined by household size and family income.
The department's website encourages people who will lose their insurance to use a federally qualified health center, which provides medical care for clients with limited or no health insurance on a sliding scale based on income. Foundcare and the health care district's C.L. Brumbeck clinics are some in
If you are eligible for insurance through the federal marketplace, you will receive a letter from the
Getting paid as a family caregiver: Savvy Senior
Medicaid expansion set to pass in North Carolina with final ceremonial vote Thursday
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