Ending pandemic Medicaid coverage to hurt millions

Defender News Service

Texans who receive health insurance through Medicaid will have to requalify and renew to maintain their coverage for the frst time in three years. Te public health emergency order that allowed for continuous Medicaid coverage during the pandemic is set to expire in May, and federal funding legislation ends the continuous coverage by April.

Terefore, the state of Texas will begin removing people who no longer qualify from the Medicaid rolls in April. Tat includes people using Medicaid programs like Healthy Texas Women, which provides free women’s health and family planning services. Enrollment in Medicaid, which provides health care to people with low incomes, has grown by about two million in Texas since February 2020, according to state data.

Who is afected?

Tis review process will most immediately affect the nearly three million Texans who had their Medicaid coverage extended because of the pandemic. But all Texans under Medicaid plans —almost six million— will eventually have to go through the redetermination and renewal process as the Texas Health and Human Services Commission returns to pre-pandemic operations.

Only some Medicaid recipients may have to reapply for coverage, according to the agency. Others may just have to renew or provide HHSC with information to verify their eligibility. For kids already on the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, renewals will continue as usual, according to state health ofcials.

When will eligibility be checked?

Te Health and Human Services Commission will contact you when it’s your turn to renew or reapply. Te agency will send you a notice through the mail or via email or text if you opted for paperless correspondence. HHSC will carry out the reviews over the course of multiple months and will focus frst on reviewing and removing Medicaid recipients who are likely to no longer qualify. Te agency will begin sending renewal packets in April, and all other households will be sent renewal packets no later than September.

What do I need to do?

Be on the lookout for a letter mailed to your address detailing your benefts and case. To avoid losing coverage while HHSC determines your eligibility, promptly respond to any agency requests for information. Notices and renewal packets will be mailed in a yellow envelope with red letters that say “action required.”

If you have an online account at YourTexasBenefts.com or use the Your Texas Benefits mobile app and opted for paperless correspondence, you will receive an electronic notice that there is a new letter in your account.

You can also check whether it’s time for you to renew by logging in to your Your Texas Benefts account and clicking the “select details” option for your case. Once there, either through the web address or the mobile app, you can also change your address or other details, like the number of people in your household or whether you are pregnant.

“Even if your case isn’t up for renewal yet, it’s important to make sure your contact information is up to date to ensure you receive notices,” said Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for the Texas Association of Health Plans.

Allred begins the campaign as a major underdog in a state that has not elected a Democrat to statewide ofce since 1994. Beto O’Rourke ran a surprisingly tight race against Cruz in 2018 — losing by less than three percentage points — but Democrats have not come as close since then. Te race is not without risk for Allred. He would have to give up his newly safe seat in Congress, where he has been rising within the Democratic caucus.

Allred also is likely to have credible primary competition. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio is poised to run, though he is unlikely to make any announcements until afer the current legislative session, which ends May 29.

Allred worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama before returning home to Dallas to run for Congress in 2018. With O’Rourke at the top of the ballot, Allred became one of two Democrats who fipped congressional seats that year in Texas, unseating U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, in the 32nd District.

National Republicans sought to win back Allred’s seat in 2020, but he won by a comfortable margin. Te next year, the Legislature redrew his seat to be safer for Democrats, and Allred sailed to a third term.

One advantage Allred could have — at least over fellow Democrats — is money. He has proven himself to be a strong fundraiser through multiple election cycles, and he ended the frst quarter of this year with $2.2 million cash on hand. Cruz had $3.3 million in the bank.

VOLUME 92, NUMBER 25 - MAY 4, 2023

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