NEW ORLEANS — If you are one of the 2 million people on Medicaid in Louisiana, there is important action you need to take.
With the COVID-19 emergency over, you will now need to go back to requalifying and re-enrolling every year to keep your coverage.
Debra Campbell takes care of her son Jeremy who is disabled with autism. His health insurance is through Medicaid.
“Commercials on TV, a few alerts on my phone,” Campbell said about where she heard of the Medicaid redetermination process.
So, when she heard change was coming she got proactive and called the Medicaid office to update his information.
“Most people don't know what (Medicaid) unwinding is, and so they think if doesn't apply to them, when they get the letter, they don't answer it,” said Chenita LeBlanc, Program Manager at DePaul Community Health Centers.
At the 11 DePaul Community Health Centers in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, the outreach team is making sure Medicaid recipients don't lose coverage. Here's why.
In March 2020 when the pandemic hit, Medicaid recipients no longer had to requalify their income and re-enroll every year, as they normally did. But now that the COVID-19 emergency is over, that process goes back into effect this month. So, if you don't re-enroll, you could lose coverage.
“So, in Louisiana for example, there have been about 400,000 people added to Medicaid since 2020, and many of those people have never been through this process before,” explained Dr. Kevin Callaison, Tulane Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management.
Dr. Callaison says the state will requalify half of those on Medicaid through other programs they are in like SNAP.
Meanwhile, the DePaul team is making sure people know the process, and don't ignore the pink letter at came in the mail.
“We go to churches, barber shops, sno-ball shops. You name it. We go. We're at almost every festival you can think of,” said LeBlanc, who has already signed up 1,000 people since August.
You can reapply either online, or by E-mail, or by phone to the Medicaid office, or to your insurance provider like Blue Cross. And if you do get bumped off of Medicaid, the DePaul team is trained to help you find alternative care, like through the Affordable Care Act. And don't fall for anyone who calls you.
“I got a phone call, and they kept asking for your Medicare or Medicaid number. And oh no, not today. You're not getting that from me,” said Campbell, who recognized the scam.
Louisiana estimates between 280,000 and 350,000 people could be dropped from Medicaid over the next 12 months.
The deadline to sign up in the coming year is the month you were first enrolled.
Locations for DePaul Community Health Centers:
Navigators for a Healthy Louisiana Healthcare Navigators provide free one-on-one assistance to Medicaid members every day to educate them on these Medicaid Unwind changes, assist them with updating their Medicaid account information and applying for Medicaid or the federal Marketplace.
Louisiana Department of Health:
https://ldh.la.gov/page/3624#:~:text=You%20can%20contact%20Medicaid%20by,as%20directed%20on%20the%20form.
Create an account with LDH:
E-mail: mymedicaid@la.gov
Louisiana Medicaid Office: 1-888-342-6207
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.