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If ACA health plans are part of your product portfolio, you need to pay close attention to this latest news about Medicaid.

There have been numerous recent industry articles and spotlights talking about the “unwinding” of Medicaid’s continuous enrollment. It is a complicated subject and takes time to fully digest the potential impact on our market. DMW is on top of it to help you support your current members and to help you support those in your community!

Here’s the gist of what is happening …

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). It required states to pause enrollment termination for Medicaid coverage — in exchange for more federal funding. At the end of the public health emergency, states would resume normal enrollment operations, (also known as “Unwinding”).

In December of 2022, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act which basically ends FFCRA on March 31, 2023.

Millions of people impacted will be eligible to enroll immediately in an ACA health insurance plan.

The problem: Medicaid enrollment grew substantially during the pandemic. Now that FFCRA is ending, millions will lose coverage.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, total Medicaid/CHIP enrollment grew to over 90 million as of September 2022 — a jump of nearly 28%!*

Not all of that growth is attributed to FFCRA. Some of it could have also come from pandemic-related economic hardship and Medicare expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

The result of this upcoming change will be that millions of people will lose health care coverage from Medicaid.

Your opportunity: Start marketing now to strengthen your plan membership — and grow!

On February 1, states can start reassessing a person’s Medicaid eligibility, and then issue enrollment terminations effective April 1. Those people impacted will be eligible to enroll immediately in an ACA plan to maintain coverage if they meet the necessary requirements. Many will likely need your guidance to understand the implications of what is happening and to find the right coverage for them.

Medicaid/CHIP enrollment jumped nearly 28% during the pandemic.*

In the past, people have often come in and out of Medicaid because of changes in their eligibility. However, the pandemic and subsequent laws that spawned from it will generate a much greater enrollment flux than usual.

The impact will likely differ by state, depending on if the state accepted enhanced funding from the federal government, and whether or not their Medicaid operations are prepared to handle it.

We’ll help you unpack the news and make a plan for success.

DMW is already strategizing for Medicaid Unwinding and ready to help review all your marketing materials to ensure the right messaging is in market — whether it’s for Over 65 or Under 65 targets.

Contact us today and we’ll start working with your team to develop a direct response plan pronto!

^{*Source: Kaiser Family Foundation}