Thousands of Nebraskans may lose Medicaid in April

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Some Medicaid users may lose coverage starting April 1 due to the federal government asking states to start the redetermination process again after it was paused during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The redetermination process is when the state looks at Medicaid users’ financial situation to determine if they are still eligible for Medicaid.

As the redetermination process begins, Medicaid users who are no longer at 133% of the federal poverty level, which is $39,900 for a family of four or $19,391 for a single person may receive a letter concerning their eligibility.

“The rules haven’t changed. If you qualified for Medicaid, in 2018, and your circumstances haven’t changed, odds are you would still qualify today,” Director Kevin Bagley, with the Department of Health and Human Services said. “The rules themselves haven’t changed. They’re still based on income for most folks, and then some folks also have rules around assets and other resources. But the rules themselves haven’t changed. We’re just applying those rules, again, to make sure we know whether or not someone’s eligible.”

Communication has been sent out to Medicaid users

The letter will notify the recipient that they see that they no longer meet the income eligibility criteria and outline what happened. The letter will also provide a date for when the coverage will end and information on how to reach out to the federal marketplace, where they can potentially qualify for premium subsidies that will allow them to enroll in the marketplace with little to no cost to themselves.

Dir. Bagley said they would start going through the process of re-verifying everyone’s eligibility for 12 months following April 1.

“We anticipate there’s probably going to be somewhere between 40 and 80,000 individuals of that 390,000 who are going to lose coverage at some point in the next 12 months,” Dir. Bagley said.

In Nebraska, 390,000 Nebraskans use Medicaid to cover their health expenses.

Bagley said they anticipate somewhere between 40,000 to 80,000 individuals out of the 390,000 Nebraskans to lose coverage at some point within the next 12 months.

The best thing Medicaid users can do right now updates their contact information. DHHS recommends making sure your contact information is up to date, and your familial status and income status is correct. Follow this link to check that on the DHHS website. You can also call 855-632-7633.

You can get help finding new coverage through Nebraska Appleseed’s Enrollment Assistance or through their Community Assistance line.

“Many folks have moved in the past three years. So if someone has moved and they don’t receive the notice for Medicaid, because it went to an old address, that might be a barrier,” Kelsey Arends, the Health Care Access Program Staff Attorney for Nebraska Appleseed said.