Since the continuous coverage condition under the Public Health Emergency expired on March 31, 2023, Medi-Cal agencies in each state have resumed eligibility reviews. As a result, an estimated 20 million people may no longer meet Medi-Cal, Medicaid, or Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) eligibility requirements. As your lifetime trusted partner, Anthem is keeping you up to date with the resources you need to guide your clients, including your group clients, through this unprecedented health coverage transition.
Did you know that many of your group clients may have employees who waived employer-sponsored health coverage and kept their Medi-Cal or CHIP benefits through the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE)? Some of these employees may have received communication from their state agency regarding their eligibility. Others, however, may have outdated contact information, leaving them unaware of a potential loss of Medi-Cal or CHIP coverage.
What your employer group clients need to do:
- Encourage employees who have Medi-Cal or CHIP to check their eligibility and update their contact information with their state agency. We’ve developed tools and resources to help employers communicate these steps with their workforce.
- Help employees understand all their coverage options to make sure they stay covered and protected.
- Consider extending their Special Enrollment Period (SEP). We recommend employers extend the traditional 60-day enrollment period to 90-days for those with a qualifying life event due to loss of Medi-Cal or CHIP. This would better enable impacted employees time to review their Medi-Cal or CHIP eligibility if they believe they still qualify, or, take action to find and enroll in new coverage.
To support your critical role in helping individuals understand all their options to stay covered, we will continue to keep you informed as we receive future updates. Please contact your Anthem representative for additional information.