PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Floridians who enrolled in Medicaid at the start of the pandemic haven’t had to reapply for the last three years. That continuous coverage is ending on March 31, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you lose coverage April 1.
“It is important that families are aware this is going to be happening over the course of the next year,” Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine said. “Again, there’s not one date for everybody, it’s different for everyone.”
Depending on when you became eligible for Medicaid, you’ll be notified when you need to reapply for redetermination of eligibility.
Fox-Levine is concerned about the children she cares for who receive Medicaid. Many kids who were eligible in 2020, never had to reapply until now.
“This is what the envelope will look like, this yellow stripe is very important for families when they get it in the mail,” she said.
But you might not get that piece of mail if your contact information is not correct.
The Florida Department of Children and Families said you should update your contact information to receive notifications about your coverage. You can update your information in a few simple steps by going to the “my access account” portal then click “report my changes,” check the box for address, phone and email changes, enter your updated information and submit.
DCF said 5.5 million people received Medicaid coverage as of late last year and nearly a million are no longer eligible.
“If you’re making more money now, yes you may not qualify for Medicaid anymore,” Dr. Olayemi Osiyemi said.
Osiyemi at Triple O Medical Services said he’s most concerned about patients with chronic illnesses. If they don’t keep up with their coverage status, the loss of healthcare could sneak up on them.
“A lot of these folks may not be aware this is coming and so it may be a shock to them when they can’t fill a prescription,” he said.
Doctors warn, even though DCF has the next 12 months to complete the redetermination process, the deadlines to reapply will be different for everyone.
According to DCF, applications of individuals determined ineligible for Medicaid might be eligible for other low cost or subsidized insurance programs. Those applications get transferred automatically to Florida KidCare, or other programs, for review.
For more information about the Medicaid redetermination process and to access your account, click here.
To read more about the Medicaid Redetermination Plan, click here.
