Arkansas stopped disenrolling Medicaid beneficiaries in 2020 per the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which increased federal funds to match state funds for Medicaid during the public health emergency. Dr. Riklon explains more about medicaid and medicaid recertification in this previous post.
Last December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law last December, issued the wind-down of state public health emergency responses beginning March 31. States are again reviewing the eligibility status of Medicaid patients for the first time in three years.
Arkansas is currently reviewing enrollment in the Medicaid program and disenrolling patients whose eligibility cannot be verified. Arkansas DHS Medicaid Control Center have begun redetermination work of patient eligibility with the first round of renewals sent out in February, March and April. This process is referred to as “unwinding.”
- During the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), the typical renewal processes paused, and Medicaid patients did not need to verify eligibility to keep benefits.
- Now that the PHE has ended, states are confirming patients’ eligibility and disenrolling patients who no longer qualify or whose eligibility cannot be verified.
- Arkansas will complete the unwinding process in six months, the shortest timeframe in the country.
This month, DHS reported that 72,802Arkansans have lost Medicaid coverage in the first two months of the unwinding process. Only 5,414 patients were disenrolled due to increased household income, meaning that they made more money than would require assistance and qualify them for benefits. Around 75% lost coverage for preventable procedural reasons, not because they were ineligible.
- In the first Arkansas Medicaid Unwinding Report, the state reported that 72,802 Arkansans lost coverage. Around 75% of those were due to procedural issues, not because they were no longer eligible. The following reasons were cited:
- Failed to return renewal form: 44,714 patients.
- Failed to return requested information: 7,673 patients.
- Unable to locate – returned mail: 2,024 patients.
A group of community organizations known as Our Healthy Alliance is urging residents to take action to protect their health coverage as the unwinding process continues.
- Residents with health insurance through Medicaid, ARKIDS First or ARHOME should act now to make sure they don’t lose coverage.
- First, residents should ensure the Arkansas Department of Human Services is able to contact them. Residents can update their address at access.arkansas.gov or call the Update Arkansas hotline at 1-844-872-2660.
- Residents should regularly check their mail. The Arkansas Department of Human Services began sending out letters in February and will be sending letters to more people in the coming months. Residents should open their mail daily to ensure they don’t miss an important letter.
If have been disenrolled from Medicaid coverage, here’s what you can do:
- In the event of loss of Medicaid coverage, there are still options.
- Appeal the decision if a resident still qualifies.
- Apply for affordable health insurance through the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace (AHIM).
- Contact Community Clinic in Northwest Arkansas at 1-855-438-2280 for help in a different language.
- They can help residents get Medicaid back or help them sign up for a different type of health insurance.
Information Sourced from NWA Council Press Release (May 24, 2023)
