Almost a million people in Ohio have received Medicaid renewal requests during unwinding process

That emergency ended at the of March and requires Ohioans eligible to reenroll for Medicaid.

More than 950,000 beneficiaries have renewed since March or are in the process of having their eligibility re-determined by the Ohio Department of Medicaid. Before April 1, nearly 3.5 million Ohioans had some type of Medicaid coverage with the majority — more than 3.2 million — being on a Medicaid managed care plan.

The reenrollment requirement has been a concern for health officials.

“To maintain and improve individual health outcomes, everyone who is eligible should be enrolled in Medicaid or have insurance through the Affordable Care Act,” said Jennifer Wentzel, Health Commissioner, Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County. “Without insurance coverage, individuals may lose access to important health screenings, which identify diseases at earlier stages when they are more treatable,”

Additional analysis shows of the 220,961 beneficiaries whose renewal was due in April, 152,416 of those beneficiaries were renewed and retained in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). There were 9,869 determined to be ineligible for Medicaid or CHIP and transferred to Marketplace options; 36,161 were terminated from Medicaid due to procedural reasons, such as failure to respond; and 22,515 where the renewal process wasn’t completed.

Of the 241,475 beneficiaries due for renewal in May, 165,894 were renewed and retained in Medicaid or CHIP. There were 13,678 determined ineligible; 34,660 terminated for procedural reasons; and 27,243 where the renewal was not completed.

Nationally, approximately 1.2 million Medicaid enrollees have been disenrolled as of June 15, based on data from 21 states, a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis says. The foundation also found wide variation in the disenrollment rates between states, ranging from 73% in Idaho to 16% in Virginia.

End of continuous enrollment

At the start of the pandemic, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act included a temporary requirement for Medicaid programs to keep people continuously enrolled and, in exchange, states received enhanced federal funding. This resulted in an additional $5.1 billion in federal Medicaid matching funds for Ohio.

Ohio resumed routine eligibility operations Feb. 1 with the first round of termination letters being mailed to those who are no longer eligible beginning in March. Health coverage for those individuals ended April 30 at the earliest, according the the Ohio Department of Medicaid.

Federal guidelines provide states up to 12 months to initiate and 14 months to complete eligibility renewals, so not all terminations are taking place at the same time. States also cannot process more than one-ninth of the caseload determined eligible for renewal, according to rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Local impacts

A lack of insurance may lead to fewer doctor visits and less access to health guidance or care.

“When seeing a doctor, there is communication between the provider and the customer to help remind them of the care they need. Additionally, without insurance, individuals may miss routine vaccinations,” Wentzel said. Public Health - Dayton and Montgomery County provides routine vaccination to individuals on a sliding scale, based on their ability to pay.

“Also, without ongoing access to a primary care provider, or insurance provider, the reminders and guidance for individual self-care may be missed,” Wentzel said. “Missing routine care can lead to poor health outcomes and missed opportunities to diagnose any health problems that may exist.”

As of March 2023, Montgomery County had approximately 192,000 enrollments for Medicaid, which is about 36% of the county, according to Ohio Medicaid. Within the 10-county local region, over 490,000 individuals were enrolled in a Medicaid program in March.

In Clark County, which had approximately 53,207 people covered by Medicaid in March, approximately 4,000 renewal packets have gone out, said Virginia Martycz, director of Clark County Department of Job and Family Services. Of those who have received renewal notices, approximately 1,600 had their Medicaid coverage terminated.

“We’re getting more returns of the packets than we had anticipated,” Martycz said.

It’s important for people to send back the renewal packets so the department can make the appropriate decisions on renewals, she said.

“The state has done a very good job of sending out reminders,” Martycz said.

The state is notifying Medicaid beneficiaries at least twice, using at least two channels of communication, according to the state’s unwinding plan. Beneficiaries also have a right to make an appeal. Termination occurs at the end of the month following the determination that the individual is no longer eligible.

The approximate number of Montgomery County renewal packets the Ohio Department of Medicaid sent out include the following, according to the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services:

The department was not able to comment on how many local beneficiaries had their coverage terminated from Medicaid.

“We would like to stress to clients that it’s imperative for them to check their mail and answer any communications sent by ODM (Ohio Department of Medicaid), ODJFS (Ohio Department of Job and Family Services), or Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services,” said Reba Chenoweth, public information officer at the Montgomery County Job Center.

Information for Medicaid members

The Ohio Department of Medicaid encourages enrollees to keep their contact information up to date, including their mailing addresses, so they receive notices to renew coverage.

You can update your contact information by calling (844) 640-6446 between 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday as well as by visiting your county department of Job and Family Services or going online through the Ohio Benefits Self-Service Portal at https://ssp.benefits.ohio.gov.

If you lose coverage and need help understanding your options, navigators are available through Get Covered Ohio for free assistance. Go to getcoveredohio.org or call (833) 628-4467 for more information.