Medicaid renewals resume for first time since beginning of COVID-19
pandemic
Send a link to a friend
[May 02, 2023]
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Medicaid recipients in Illinois should be on the lookout
for correspondence from the state regarding their coverage as the normal
renewal process resumes for the first time in three years.
Medicaid is a health insurance program for low-income and disabled
people that is jointly funded by the federal government and the states.
Throughout the pandemic, people who were enrolled in Medicaid did not
have to go through the normal process of reapplying every 12 months to
determine whether they were eligible, even if there were changes in
their income or household that would normally make them ineligible.
That rule has ended due to a change approved by the federal government
in its December spending plan. Redetermination letters will be sent to
Illinois Medicaid recipients in waves over the next 12 months, with
letters going out to the first group this week.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/02/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png)
State officials are urging all Medicaid recipients to update their
information within the Illinois Medicaid program to ensure their
benefits are not wrongly ended due to the state being unable to contact
them. Medicaid recipients can do so, and can check their enrollment
status, by visiting abe.illinois.gov and clicking “Manage My Case” to
set up an online account.
Recipients can also call 1-800-843-6154 or find more at
Medicaid.illinois.gov, which includes answers to frequently asked
questions and other resources.
In June, according to the governor’s office, approximately 113,600 cases
in Illinois are up for renewal. Of those, 51 percent have been
automatically renewed as a result of screening by the Department of
Healthcare and Family Services, which administers Medicaid at the state
level. Still, customers with June renewal dates are urged to watch for
correspondence from the state to see if they have been renewed
automatically or will need to take action by June 1.
Customers who do not respond or who are no longer eligible will lose
Medicaid coverage a month after their due date, the administration said
in a news release. Those losing eligibility will be notified and will
receive information about enrolling in alternative coverage.
DHFS said that Illinois’ Medicaid enrollment grew by about 1 million
enrollees during the COVID-19 pandemic, to 3.9 million. But the state
also received an additional $3 billion in federal funding through the
enhanced matching rate.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/050223PIX/news_b1.jpg)
The Illinois Department of Healthcare
and Family Services will begin sending letters that look like the
one pictured to Medicaid recipients across Illinois as the normal
renewal process begins again for the first time since the COVID-19
pandemic. (Credit: Illinois.gov)
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/02/images/ads/current/fcs_funeral_lda_border_04029022.png)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that about
9.5 percent of Medicaid enrollees nationwide, or 8.2 million people,
could lose coverage because they are no longer eligible. Another 7.9
percent, or 6.8 million people, could lose coverage despite still being
eligible due to issues with the application process.
That would translate to roughly 700,000 people in Illinois. In February,
IDHFS said in a news release the department believed it could mitigate
the impact to result in roughly 384,000 losing coverage, acknowledging
“nobody knows for sure” how many individuals would be affected.
“Illinois has taken a proactive, multi-faceted approach to try to make
sure that everyone who is eligible for Medicaid can continue coverage
through the program without disruption,” IDHFS Director Theresa Eagleson
said in a statement Monday. “Medicaid customers have not had to renew
coverage in over three years, and we have engaged in many levels of
outreach to prepare people for when their renewal date comes up. We
believe these efforts will have a significant impact in preserving
coverage.”
The department has been building up staff and has conducted a
multi-platform outreach campaign called “Ready to Renew” to ensure
recipients are prepared for their renewals. The state is also
collaborating with community health centers and local organizations to
publicize the restarting of renewals.
The governor’s COVID-19 disaster declaration, which has been ongoing in
30-day increments since March 2020, expires on May 11. That will
coincide with the conclusion of the federal government’s disaster
declaration.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news
service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of
newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by
the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation,
along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation
and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/02/images/ads/current/castlemanor_sda_FINANCIAL_2017.png)
|