Shapiro Administration, Pennie® Prepared to Help Pennsylvanians Stay Covered Amid Upcoming Federal Changes to Medicaid, CHIP Renewals
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh, Acting Insurance Commissioner Mike Humphreys, and Pennie® Director of External Affairs Chachi Angelo reminded Pennsylvanians of the upcoming end of pandemic flexibilities for Medicaid and CHIP coverage, and affirmed the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to helping Pennsylvanians stay covered when federal changes to Medicaid renewals take effect on April 1, 2023.
Starting in 2020, the federal public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for individuals to continue to remain enrolled in Medicaid even if they became ineligible based on regular eligibility criteria, except in rare circumstances. This is also known as the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement. In December 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 into law, which effectively ends the continuous coverage requirement on March 31, 2023. Beginning April 1, 2023, all Pennsylvanians must once again return to completing an annual renewal when it is due to maintain Medicaid or CHIP coverage.
No one will lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage without an opportunity to renew their coverage or update their information. Renewals will be completed over 12 months, and renewals due in March 2023 will be the first affected by the end of continuous coverage. All Medicaid recipients will need to go through a renewal process around the time of their normal renewal date over that 12-month period to determine if they are still eligible for Medicaid.
Pennie is Pennsylvania’s official health and dental coverage marketplace and the only place to get financial assistance to help lower the cost of high-quality coverage and care. Those losing Medicaid or CHIP coverage can apply for coverage through pennie.com, and some individuals will have their information securely transferred from Medicaid or CHIP for an easier enrollment process. Customers can simply call Pennie Customer Service at 1-844-844-8040 or find Pennie-certified pros at pennie.com/connect. Anyone who looked at options through the health insurance marketplace in years past should look again. Pennie is tailored to Pennsylvanians and now has more plan options, lower costs, and better coordination with the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
If a person is found to be ineligible for their current coverage or does not complete their renewal on time, their Medicaid coverage will end. Pennsylvanians who are no longer eligible for Medicaid will be referred to other sources of affordable medical coverage like CHIP and Pennie®, so they have no lapse in quality, affordable health care.
The Department of Human Services, along with Pennie® and other agencies across the Commonwealth, is undertaking an aggressive, multi-pronged outreach plan to inform Pennsylvanians of upcoming changes. Medicaid recipients have already begun receiving communications from DHS and will continue to receive mail, text, email, and phone calls to make certain they are aware of the federal action affecting their benefits. DHS is also planning coordinated broad public communications via social media, community stakeholders, and press channels to notify the public of this change for Medicaid recipients. This social media outreach – primarily for individuals to keep contact information up-to-date to receive information on time – has been ongoing for months.
To learn more about Medicaid and CHIP renewals and access educational resources, visit www.dhs.pa.gov/phe. For more information on health insurance options available to Pennsylvanians, visit www.pa.gov/health-insurance.