Public health emergency ending & Medicaid unwinding
On February 11, Arkansas DHS began sending letters to ARHOME members who may lose their ARHOME coverage due to public health emergency ending. DHS will restart the eligibility redetermination process on April 1 and will terminate coverage for members who no longer qualify. DHS will complete this “Medicaid unwinding” over a period of six months, ending in September. Fortunately, your affected clients will have coverage options.
What happens when the Public Health Emergency (PHE) ends?
The Public Health Emergency (PHE) was put into place as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The PHE included a continuous enrollment condition provision for most Medicaid beneficiaries who were enrolled in the program as of or after March 18, 2020. The state has not verified eligibility for ARHOME members since that date. The continuous enrollment condition will end on March 31, 2023. From April 1 through September 30, DHS will terminate ARHOME coverage in waves for members who no longer qualify for the program.
What should affected ARHOME members do?
If your clients receive a Benefit Renewal Form in the mail, they should complete and return it as soon as possible. If they do not provide the renewal form information back to the state, their ARHOME coverage will be terminated.
How can ARHOME members provide their renewal information to the state?
Affected ARHOME members can update their information in several ways:
- Go online at access.arkansas.gov (see instructions on page 1 of the Benefit Renewal Form)
- Visit their county DHS office
- Mail their benefit renewal form in the return envelope provided
If my clients are no longer eligible for ARHOME, do they have other coverage options?
Yes. Anyone losing ARHOME coverage due to “Medicaid unwinding” will have a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) on the Health Insurance Marketplace for an Affordable Care Act (ACA) plan. This “Unwinding SEP” will allow affected members to enroll outside of the annual open enrollment period.
How long will affected ARHOME members have to use this “Unwinding SEP” for an ACA plan?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will update healthcare.gov so that Marketplace-eligible members who submit a new application or update an existing application between March 31, 2023 and July 31, 2024 and attest to the last date of Medicaid (ARHOME) coverage with the same time period will be eligible for an Unwinding SEP.
Will Arkansas Blue Cross do any additional outreach to ARHOME members?
Yes. Arkansas Blue Cross will send reminder postcards, emails and text messages to affected ARHOME members. In addition, we will do a social media campaign and include articles in our quarterly member magazine. We will encourage members to complete their renewal forms and information with the state as soon as possible.