During the pandemic, federal law required that states continue Medicaid coverage for all members. Exceptions could be made if they died, moved out of state, or asked to be removed. As a result, 153,857 Idahoans were enrolled in Medicaid despite eligibility not being confirmed within the past year.
Federal law changed earlier this year. Since February, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) has been contacting these Medicaid Protection members to review eligibility. So far, 93,531 re-evaluations have been processed. 26,190 members remain eligible. 67,341 are ineligible and have been referred to the state’s health insurance marketplace, Your Health Idaho.
The number of people ineligible for Medicaid rose sharply in June. That is because June 1 was when the first procedural closures occurred. A procedural closure happens when the Medicaid member fails to respond within 60 days.
Written notification is sent to Medicaid members whose eligibility ends due to a procedural closure. If you received a closure notice yet suspect you may still qualify for Medicaid, please do one of the following:
- Visit idalink.idaho.gov
- Call 877-456-1233
- Email MyBenefits@dhw.idaho.gov
The department expects to continue processing Medicaid Protection re-evaluations until fall.
Medicaid Protection re-evaluation data is updated by 5 p.m. each Monday at https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/medicaidprotection.
I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.
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