Shanteya Hudson, Public News Service
More than a half million Georgians stand to lose their Medicaid coverage this year because of the end of pandemic-era coverage.
As a result of recent federal changes, Georgia has re-evaluated the eligibility of about 2.7 million Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids recipients.
While many people may no longer meet the requirements for Medicaid, Marcus Robinson, UnitedHealthcare’s president of markets for the individual- and family-plan business, said it’s important for people to respond to requests for information, since not doing so could also result in a loss of coverage.
“Sometimes communication to Medicaid members can be challenging change of addresses and getting in contact with them,” he said. “So, someone may actually lose Medicaid coverage through redetermination and not know it for some time.”
Residents who need to update their contact information can log in to their Georgia Gateway account at gateway.ga.gov.
Robinson said even if you lose coverage, there are still options. According to the state’s website, if you missed your deadline to provide information, you have 90 days to submit it and regain coverage. If you are found ineligible for coverage, you can appeal the decision. Robinson highlighted that people who no longer qualify will have the option to take advantage of special enrollment periods.
“Through the redetermination process, with you being on Medicaid, it’s determined that you are no longer eligible for Medicaid,” he said. “Well, that’s a loss of coverage, and that allows you a qualifying event to enroll in the individual exchange marketplace.”
Georgia residents will also receive a letter referring them to the federally facilitated Marketplace for other health-care options. More information on the re-enrollment process and instructions on how to navigate it are at staycovered.ga.gov.
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This article originally appeared on Public News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
