Thousands of Montgomery County residents could lose Medicaid coverage as the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ends.
Last week, leaders reminded residents renewal conditions are changing.
About 17,000 people may lose coverage, according to Yvonne Iscandari, administrator for the county’s Department of Health and Human Services Office of Eligibility and Support Services.
More than 200,000 residents are active Medicaid recipients, she said during a media briefing Wednesday. About 50% have been automatically renewed through the state. However there are still about 105,000 people who have to re-enroll.
The state has been notifying current enrollees, County Executive Marc Elrich said last week. According to Iscandari, the county has also been contacting clients who have not automatically renewed. She anticipates getting the majority of residents, if not all, re-enrolled.
Those who lose coverage may qualify for private health plans or county safety net programs for the uninsured, Elrich said.
Earlier this year, state officials were reportedly preparing for up to 80,000 Maryland residents who may lose eligibility.
Medicaid renewals and redeterminations stopped in March 2020 due to the pandemic, according to the state health department, meaning those enrolled did not have to go through renewal to maintain coverage.
The Federal Public Health Emergency ends Thursday, so recipients will now have to go through a redetermination process.
Those who need to renew coverage or are no longer eligible will receive a notice in their accounts or in the mail, per Maryland Health Connection’s Medicaid check-in webpage.
Recipients are urged to log in to their accounts to look for communications and make sure their contact information is up to date.
