(Plain Press December 2023) Many Ohioans are losing their Medicaid coverage. Some because they are no longer eligible, but many more because they failed to respond to the Department of Medicaid’s request for updated information.

     In an article in the May 2023 Plain Press titled Post-pandemic changes to Medicaid may impact coverage, Legal Aid Development and Communications Assistant Tony Sams noted that the federal law that prevented those on Medicaid before or after March of 2020 from being disenrolled during the pandemic no longer applies. Medicaid has returned to pre-pandemic guidelines, she said.

     In the July 2023 Plain Press, in an article titled Changes to SNAP and Medicaid are underway, Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality (NOBLE) Organizer Brittney Madison said the 2023 Consolidations Appropriations Act passed by Congress in December of 2022 stipulated that continuous coverage provisions tied to Medicaid would expire on March 31, 2023. Madison noted that this means that Ohio Medicaid members would be disenrolled from the program. She said, “Ohio resumed routine eligibility operations on February 1, 2023” and “The first round of termination letters was sent to those who were not eligible back in April of 2023,” Madison noted.

     While some Ohioans that were on Medicaid are no longer eligible because of an increase in income during the past few years, many others are being removed from the roles because they failed to respond to the Department of Medicaid’s request for updated information.

County Council Testimony

     NOBLE member Gail Long in her testimony before County Council at its Budget Hearing on November 13, 2023, urged the County Council to “provide adequate staffing levels for the Department of Employment and Family Services as it tackles the unwinding of Medicaid since the cessation of the Public Health Emergency on April 1, 2023.”

     Long was referring to the Cuyahoga County employees that help residents with the process of reapplying for Medicaid. In her testimony Long said “Through September 30^th of this year, 1,262,224 Ohioans have been reviewed and of this number, 35%, or 443,523 individuals, have been disenrolled. Of that 443,523, 25,7%, or 113,990 individuals, were ineligible, and 74.3%, or 329,533 individuals, were disenrolled for procedural reasons that included not getting packets on time, not receiving information in the mail or email, having a phone disconnected, and so forth.”

     Long also provided County Council with local data on the number of Cuyahoga County residents who have lost their Medicaid coverage. Long noted that “In Cuyahoga County a total of 462,503 children and adults were enrolled in Medicaid at the start of the unwinding process. Today this number is 432,164 or a 7% decrease in enrollees. Auto-Discontinuance (of those individuals who did not submit their Medicaid Renewal Packets) range from 5,026 in April,2023, to 4,214 in September 2023. For the 6-month period from April through September, the Auto-Discontinuance totaled 25,855 or 6% of the total enrolled in April.”

     In concluding her testimony, Gail Long urged Cuyahoga County Council “to support the Department’s ability to handle this influx of work so that it is done accurately and timely. This process continues through March 31st of 2024, and its effects will be felt long beyond that,” she said.

NOBLE’S advice on what you can do

     In the following information from the July 2023 Plain Press article titled Changes to SNAP and Medicaid are underway, author NOBLE Organizer Brittney Madison offers some advice as to what people can do to respond to the changes in the Medicaid law:

What do you need to do?

     It is critical that you take the necessary steps to update your contact information, respond to requests for information (including renewal packets), or transition to other coverage if you are no longer eligible for Medicaid.

     Make sure your contact information is up to date. You should let your County Department of Job and Family Services know when your contact information changes.

     Information for Cuyahoga County Jobs and Family Services (CJFS) can be found below.

     Additionally, you can make changes to your name, residential address, mailing address (if different from home address), phone number, and email address by logging on to benefits.ohio.gov.

     Check your mail and respond to renewal packets and requests for information from CJFS. If you get a letter telling you to renew, or that CJFS needs more information, be sure to respond right away.

     If you’re notified that you are no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage, this is considered a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), which allows you to enroll in a Marketplace plan outside of the Open Enrollment Period. If you need help understanding your options, trained, licensed insurance navigators are available at no cost to you. Contact Get Covered Ohio for free, unbiased assistance.

     Go to getcoveredohio.org or call 1-833-628-4467. Insurance navigators can help in-person, online, or over the phone.

     Your child may be eligible for coverage even if you are no longer eligible. For more information, contact CJFS.

Information for Cuyahoga County Jobs and Family Services:

Phone: 844-640-6446. Fax: 216-987-7700

Addresses:

Jane Edna Hunter Building, 3955 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115Hours: Mon – Fri 9 AM-4 PM

Virgil E Brown Building, 1641 Payne Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114Hours: Mon – Fri 9AM-4 PM

Westshore (Document Drop off), 9830 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102Hours: Mon – Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM

Mt. Pleasant (Forms Only Center), 13815 Kinsman Rd, Cleveland, OH 44120

Email attachments can be sent to: CJFSDocs@fs.ohio.gov.

     Please visit ohiobudgetequality.com to learn more about Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality (NOBLE). You can contact NOBLE at 216-505-1127 or ohiobudgetequality@gmail.com with any questions. If you no longer qualify for Medicaid, you can contact Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) at 216-440-4975 and they can assist you in finding affordable health care options.

     Protect your food and healthcare, act now! 

Legal Aid advice

     Legal Aid’s Tonya Sams in a May 2023 Plain Press article titled Post-pandemic changes to Medicaid may impact coverage offers some additional advice:

     Ohio residents that have had their Medicaid benefits automatically renewed will receive notice from their local Job and Family Services office notifying them of their approval. Those who are not eligible for automatic renewal will receive renewal packets in the mail, but the packets must be sent back to the County promptly to avoid being disenrolled from Medicaid. This process will continue for all upcoming renewals for the next several months. If you lose benefits, Medicaid allows a 90-day reinstatement period to submit the renewal form to redetermine eligibility for benefits.  

     Completed Medicaid renewal packets can be returned in several ways. They can be returned by mail or by returning a completed and signed renewal packet to the local Job and Family Services office. Individuals may also renew over the phone by calling the Medicaid Consumer Hotline at 800-324-8680, Monday through Friday 8 am. to 4 p.m. 

     Renewals can also be handled online through the Ohio Benefits eligibility portal. Visit ssp.benefits.ohio.gov but only if you have already created a Self-Service Portal account. Otherwise, you must submit the renewal through one of the methods listed above. Even if you can’t complete your renewal in the Self-Service Portal, you can still use your account to report changes and upload documents. The portal also allows you to request text and voice alerts regarding updates to your case. Again, applicants can call the Medicaid customer service line at 800-324-8680 for assistance.  

     If you are no longer eligible for Medicaid, there are other options available for health insurance. You can see if your employer offers coverage, or you can see if coverage is available on the federally facilitated Marketplace at Healthcare.gov or by calling 800-318-2596. Help is also available through a partnership between the Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. For more information go to getcoveredohio.org or call 833-628-4467 for help with finding new coverage.                   Having trouble with the Medicaid renewal process or you disagree with your Medicaid termination? Legal Aid may be able to help! Call Legal Aid at 888-817-3777 or complete an online intake 24/7 at lasclev.or