States are aggressively evaluating their Medicaid enrollments following the end of the public health emergency, and many are losing coverage. Here’s everything you need to know about the unwinding and what to do if you are a Medicaid beneficiary – direct from Dr. Aditi Mallick, Acting Director of the CMS Office of Minority Health.

Health care coverage is a critical lifeline for everyone and especially for people with disabilities and people who may be underinsured. Millions of individuals and families rely on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to receive access to vital care to support their physical and mental health and, as a result, are likely to be impacted as states conduct Medicaid and CHIP eligibility renewals following the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)¹ remains committed to ensuring that minority and underserved populations understand this process and how it may impact their enrollment, eligibility, and overall health care.

Medicaid Renewals 101

In March 2020, as part of COVID-19 relief, Congress authorized additional Medicaid funding for states on the condition that they satisfied a “continuous enrollment” condition, which generally prohibited states from terminating most Medicaid enrollees’ enrollment until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This helped to ensure millions of people could remain enrolled in Medicaid coverage without interruption during the pandemic. The continuous enrollment condition ended on March 31, 2023, allowing states to begin to return to normal operations around eligibility and enrollment, including conducting Medicaid renewals, beginning on April 1, 2023.

Medicaid Renewals Impact on People With Disabilities

Medicaid and CHIP renewals are a multi-step process, and states must begin the process by attempting to complete renewal of coverage based on information available to them without contacting the individual. If that is not possible, agencies must send renewal notices and requests for information to enrollees.

These steps have challenges associated with reaching people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who lack sufficient supports to navigate Medicaid enrollment and eligibility. If an enrollee does not receive or reply to renewal notices from the state (for example, because they have moved addresses), their coverage could be interrupted or discontinued altogether. That could mean losing access to essential health care, medication, and services needed as part of ongoing services, supports, and care plans.

States have independent obligations under federal civil rights laws to ensure that individuals and families continue to have access to Medicaid and CHIP as states conduct renewals. For example, states are required to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful language access for individuals with limited English proficiency and ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities. Ensuring access to information is vital and required. Losing Medicaid also means losing long-term services and support (LTSS) and home and community-based services (HCBS), such as care for people with disabilities who may need more support of age; physical, cognitive, developmental, or chronic health conditions; or other functional limitations that restrict their abilities to care for themselves.

The Road to Renewal

The first and most important step for ensuring continuation of coverage is consistent outreach and communications to those impacted to confirm that they are completing their renewal forms accurately and in a timely manner. Information on the Renew Your Medicaid or CHIP Coverage² webpage is a great starting point for helping people better navigate renewals. The webpage outlines how to prepare for the renewal process, what to do if you no longer qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, and where to go for more help, including contacts for each state’s Medicaid office.

We Need Your Help!

CMS is also using multiple creative avenues—such as direct partner outreach, monthly stakeholder webinars, social media, and ad placements—to spread awareness about Medicaid and CHIP renewals and to reach those who may have been missed through traditional communication channels. We are also planning communications focused on families with younger children during back-to-school activities in the fall.

Encourage people who lost their coverage to visit HealthCare.gov to see if they are eligible to enroll in a low-cost, quality health plan. Find toolkits, drop-ins, creative assets, and translations on the Medicaid and CHIP Renewals Outreach and Educational Resources webpage and be sure to download the All Hands on Deck Toolkit to get started in your community. Keep the conversation going throughout Open Enrollment! Find your state here to learn more.

Once enrolled, Coverage to Care offers resources to provide anyone information on health care coverage options, understanding their rights, and how to use their benefits. Join CMS in helping people understand and use their health coverage by sharing these tools with your community.

• The Coverage to Care (C2C)³ campaign helps underserved populations understand health care coverage and connects them to primary care and preventive services that is right for them.
• The C2C Roadmap to Better Care⁴ explains what health coverage is and how to use it to get primary care and preventive services. This resource is available in multiple languages, including Spanish⁵, as well as a Tribal Version⁶.
• Getting the Care You Need: A Guide for People With Disabilities is a resource available in multiple languages to explain a person’s rights, how to work with health care providers, and how to take an active role in your health care.
• Partner resources⁷ help health care professionals and national and community organizations support consumers as they navigate their coverage. This resource is available in multiple languages, including Spanish⁸.
• Braille and additional format resources are available, contact CoveragetoCare@cms.hhs.gov.

By working together, we can reach those most in need of health care coverage as Medicaid renewals continue. Let’s stay committed to our shared vision of finding ways to consistently and creatively reach those who need our support. Together, we can ensure that eligible individuals remain on Medicaid and get the health care they need – a critical step helping individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities receive the highest quality of health care.

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1. (n.d.). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS.gov. https://www.cms.gov/
2. Medicaid (n.d.). Renew Your Medicaid or CHIP Coverage. Medicaid.gov. https://www.medicaid.gov/resources-for-states/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/unwinding-and-returning-regular-operations-after-covid-19/renew-your-medicaid-or-chip-coverage/index.html
3. CMS OMH (n.d.). Coverage to Care. https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/agency-information/omh/health-equity-programs/c2c
4. CMS OMH (n.d.). C2C Roadmap to Better Care. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/c2c-roadmap-better-care.pdf
5. CMS OMH (n.d.). Guía Para Una Mejor Atención. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/roadmap-better-care-spanish.pdf
6. CMS OMH (n.d.). Roadmap to Better Care Tribal Version. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/c2c-roadmap-booklet-tribal.pdf
7. CMS OMH (n.d.). Partner Toolkit Get Involved in Coverage to Care. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/c2c-partner-toolkitenglish.pdf
8. CMS OMH (n.d.). Herramientas para Socios Participe en Coverage to Care. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/c2c-partner-toolkitspanish.pdf