The Division of Medicaid provides healthcare services for low-income people and families in Idaho. This includes adults and children, pregnant women, people over the age of 65, and people with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements.
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, states were not allowed to remove anyone from Medicaid unless they moved out of the state, asked to be removed, or died. This was called continuous Medicaid enrollment or continuous Medicaid coverage. It was also called Medicaid Protection.
As people’s situations or incomes changed, some of the people enrolled in Medicaid are no longer qualified to get benefits. And recent federal statute allows the department to remove Idahoans who no longer qualify for Medicaid starting April 1.
We are ready for this.
Many other states stopped doing Medicaid re-evaluations during the public health emergency. Idaho continued to do them to gauge eligibility, even though we could not remove participants who no longer qualify during the public health emergency. Of the nearly 450,000 Idahoans enrolled in Medicaid, we know that 300,000 of those enrolled are eligible.
There are about 150,000 people currently enrolled in Medicaid who either don't qualify or have not been in contact with the department during the public health emergency. Starting Feb. 1, we will send the first batch of re-evaluation notices. We will send batches of notices each month. We expect to complete the re-evaluations of these 150,000 Idahoans by September.
This is one of the fastest timelines in the country for Medicaid re-evaluations.
If you currently receive Medicaid, please take action to make sure you receive notices about your benefits and re-evaluations. Report any changes in your household information, including your phone number and address.
If your contact information has changed, or you want to confirm your current information, call DHW at 877-456-1233 or email MyBenefits@dhw.idaho.gov. You can also report changes by visiting idalink.idaho.gov
Learn more about Medicaid Protection.
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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