Leaders remind residents Medicaid renewal conditions change as the federal COVID-19 public health emergency ends.
“During the pandemic, many more people were able to qualify for Medicaid, but beginning last month, current residents have been notified they will have to go through a redetermination process,” County Executive Marc Elrich said during a media briefing Wednesday.
“If you were qualified because of an expansion of the pre-pandemic guidelines, you’re going to have to re-apply now and you may not qualify under the new guidelines,” he said.
Elrich said the state has been notifying current enrollees, “but we want to emphasize the information so that Montgomery County residents know about this significant change.”
The federal public health emergency is set to end May 11.
Medicaid renewals and redeterminations stopped in March 2020 due to the pandemic, according to the state health department. This meant those enrolled did not have to go through renewal to maintain coverage. The state resumed “standard Medicaid eligibility and enrollment operations” starting last month.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Marylanders who were eligible for Medicaid then continued to be covered, even if they are no longer eligible now,” according to Maryland Health Connection’s Medicaid check-in webpage. Those who need to renew coverage or who are no longer eligible will receive a notice in their accounts or in the mail.
“Some people may be notified that they no longer qualify at the end of the public health emergency, and we will work with you to identify other sources of healthcare insurance, either through the exchange or through other services that may be available,” said Public Health Emergency Preparedness Manager Sean O’Donnell.
He urged residents to log in to their accounts to monitor for communications and make sure their contact information remains up to date.
Elrich told residents to confirm their information through the Medicaid check-in webpage and urged people to respond if they have already received renewal letters.
He said the redeterminations will not all happen at once.
