Got Medicaid? Your Coverage Is At Risk Unless You Do This

Got Medicaid? NY’s Healthfirst Leads The Way In Ensuring the Millions of Members At Risk of Losing Their Coverage Don’t

If you have Medicaid or any government sponsored health plan, keep reading. Since the pandemic was declared over, auto renewals are ending and more than 18 million people could lose coverage.

Do you have Medicaid or a similar health plan? If so, you may have lost your coverage without even knowing. The government has stopped all auto-renewals since the end of the pandemic, which means you could be one of 18 million people who may lose coverage.

The worst time to find out you don’t have health insurance is at your visit to the doctor when you need it the most! So, today we’re talking to Dr. Errol Pierre, SVP of State Programs at Healthfirst — the largest non-profit health plan in NY serving close to 2 million members — about Black Women + Healthcare Disparities & Access.

Let’s start by introducing you. Who is Dr. Errol Pierre and what do you do?

As you stated, my name is Errol Pierre and I am the Senior Vice President of State Programs at Healthfirst, Inc., the largest non-profit health plan in New York State, serving close to 2 million members. In this role, I am accountable for growth, profit/loss, sales and retention for the Medicaid, Long-Term Care, and Commercial product portfolios.  

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What is the greatest current issue threatening access to healthcare now that we are post the COVID-19 pandemic? 

The greatest healthcare issue post-pandemic is the ongoing effort to have people re-acquainted with the annual Medicaid renewal process. Because people did not have to renew manually between 2020 and 2023, this recertification/renewal process is the single largest health coverage transition event since the first open enrollment of the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid expansion.

One of the main challenges with the end of autorenewals is a potential lack of awareness of people knowing they have to renew this health coverage.

At Healthfirst, we face the challenge of educating members about when and how they must renew their plans to avoid losing their healthcare coverage.

What is the current status of Medicaid enrollment and why is it so important?  What is on the line? What products are at risk?

Details vary from state to state but since renewals began again in March of 2023 in New York, Healthfirst has been on a mission to educate, remind and support our members about renewing their coverage.

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This change impacts programs like Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan, and the Health and Recovery Program (HARP). It also impacts seniors 65 and over who have both Medicaid and Medicare or Medicaid Long Term Care. 

It is critical to raise awareness about the changes coming and to educate on the importance of continuous coverage, so this has been our focus at Healthfirst.

Medicaid coverage is essential to public health, and it’s vital that all stakeholders in our community work together toward the shared goal of keeping eligible New Yorkers insured. This is why we work diligently to find members who are up for recertification and close the gap in that population being recertified or transitioned to a new plan.

Congratulations on the amazing work you’ve been doing to ensure that millions of people don’t lose their coverage. What are the ways that Healthfirst has worked to do this? 

• • Healthfirst is helping through:
    • Content on our website healthfirst.org, including a specific Renew Your Coverage page
    • Reminder posters in our Community Offices
    • Reminder posts on our social media accounts
    • Culturally competent and multilingual reps who are well versed on this topic and ready to assist in a multitude of diverse languages
    • Flyers handed out at our community events, messaging on our mobile app and member portal
    • Social media posts, and communications targeted to providers and brokers
    • Healthfirst is partnering with local health providers and community organizations to spread this important message

What is the Health Equity impact of this effort?

• • We are optimistic that through our proactive outreach, we will help increase awareness among New Yorkers about what they need to do. 
  • The worst time to find out you don’t have health insurance is when you try to use it.
  • The resumption of recertification could be a barrier in our journey to advance health equity. Those left behind in a coverage gap may face overwhelming healthcare bills or skip refilling the prescriptions that keep them out of the hospital.

How can people know their status/required actions steps?

• Step 1: Know your renewal date. 
  • New York Medicaid members can log into their account at nystateofhealth.ny.gov to check or call their health insurance plan directly 
• Step 2: Watch your mail.
  • When it is time for New Yorkers to renew their health insurance, they will receive notice from NY State of Health or their county’s Local Department of Social Services or the New York City Human Resources Administration. This letter will let them know when it’s time to renew and what they need to do. They should follow the instructions right away so they don’t lose coverage. 
• Healthfirst members should visit Healthfirst.org/Renew to learn more about their options