COLUMBIA – Starting Saturday, April 1, the Missouri Family Support Division (FSD) will restart its annual Medicaid renewal, after a three-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beneficiaries are now required to update their address information and keep up with the renewal deadlines.
On Tuesday, Robert Knodell, acting director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) confirmed that, “there will undoubtedly be people who participated in the program that are no longer eligible to do so.”
KOMU 8 News previously reported that during this 12-month-long renewal process, between 200,000 and 300,000 Missouri residents could lose their Medicaid coverage.
Kim Evans, the FSD director, said her department is working to assure the community has all the needed information to help for a smooth process.
She understands the amount of information can be hard to keep track of but advised Missourians to avoid panicking.
“We want those individuals to be aware of the coverage options available to them, so that they can continue to have health care coverage, even if it’s not under [the] MO HealthNet umbrella,” she said.
According to the Missouri Department of Social Services (DDS), the renewal process starting on Saturday will begin with applicants who have their Medicaid coverage scheduled to expire this June.
As its progresses, a month-by-month approach is seen by Evans to be the best option to manage both operationally and externally, as she believes this way it is also easier for individuals to remember when their Medicaid plan is due.
Through their manage care plans, DSS has been updating its client directory, not only to get their latest address but also to add their emails and cell phone numbers, when available.
Those steps are being taken “so that we are able to find all modes of contacts through individuals in case we need to contact them, to ensure that we can renew their coverage,” Evans said.
Annual renewal timeline
Missouri Medicaid (MO HealthNet) enrollment renewals timeline, planned to occur from June 2023 to May 2024.
The FSD started its renewal process in March by fact checking address updates against the U.S. Postal Service's National Change of Address.
From April 1 to June 30, the following three operational stages will take place:
- April: FSD initiates ex parte process for potential automatic eligibility determination
- May: FSD mails applicants/candidates an eligibility decision letter or sends out a form if more information is needed.
- June 30: If additional information is required, their form and any requested documentation should be submitted to FSD by the last day of the month.
"Everyone will receive a letter, a note, regardless of the situation,” Evans said. But its nature varies.
The nature of the decision letter will indicate those who are eligible for renewal either with no changes to their coverage or those eligible but need to be given a new plan that better suits their current needs. An adverse action letter will be sent to participants who are no longer eligible for MO HealthNet coverage.
In such cases, individuals can attempt to fight the decision, but it must be done within the deadline established in the adverse action letter.
Taking in account the multiplicity of due dates, the annual renewal process is scheduled to happen three months before the Medicaid plan of each applicant expires, starting from the address verification step mentioned above.
Enrollment growth vs. Staffing shortages
According to Todd Richardson, director of the MOHealth Net Division, Missouri currently has over 1.6 million Medicaid beneficiaries. All are estimated to be assessed in the next 12 months.
Before the pandemic, the state had 900,000 Medicaid recipients. That number grew by 700,000 since 2020, partially due to the Medicaid expansion of around 300,000 people.
“We do expect that Missouri will continue to have a little bit of increase in our enrollment over the next two months,” Richardson said.
He added that as the new fiscal year starts, in June or July enrollment numbers are expected to come down, as it is expected in the rest of the country.
Across the state of Missouri, the FSD is still facing a staffing shortage, with 200 vacancies. Evans said the department is in process of hiring right now.
Eligibility
Medicaid was designed for those who do not have health insurance or are in need of financial assistance to cover their medical costs.
Information from DSS website states who qualifies for Medicaid (MO HealthNet), the requirements ranging from health and income to age and individual needs. Those who generally qualify tend to be:
- Senior (age 65 and older)
- Parent or caretaker with a child (under age 19)
- Child (age birth -18)
- Woman (age 18-55) with no health insurance
- Adult (age 19-64) without disabilities
- Pregnant woman (including unborn child)
- Woman (under age 65) with breast or cervical cancer
- Person with disabilities
- Blind or visually impaired adult
More detailed information about MO HealthNet renewal requirements, deadlines and ways to locate the nearest D.S.S. center can be found on their website in written form or video tutorials.
For those looking for more healthcare solutions, MO HealthNet has several other programs available.
