Healthcare Billing Services Information
ALERT: From the desk of Dan Thomas, Healthcare Billing Services, Inc.
The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) is requesting that those who have contact with families with Medicaid insurance pass on an important message to the parents, which is:
**Make sure that your address and email is up to date and current with your County Department of Jobs and Family Services.**
Since March 2020, and as part of the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), States have been prohibited from disenrolling members from Medicaid, even if they were found no longer to be eligible. Effective February 1, 2023, ODM has resumed routine Medicaid eligibility requirements. ODM will begin sending out termination letters to those members who no longer qualified for Medicaid but were allowed to remain on Medicaid due to the PHE. This process is called “Medicaid Unwinding”. Medicaid Renewal Packets and Request for Information will also be sent to all Medicaid recipients via US Mail.
A big concern is that if a family has moved since March 2020, and did not change their mailing address with their County Department of Jobs and Family Services, this important Medicaid reenrollment information will not be received by the family and will result in a discontinuation of Medicaid benefits for the family. Members who do not respond will have their coverage discontinued and will then have 90 days to reenroll in Medicaid without needing to submit a new application, but they could be totally unaware, due to an incorrect address or email, that their coverage was terminated.
**Renewal Packets and Information Requests going to the wrong address will result in termination of Medicaid coverage.**
In anticipation of the return to routine eligibility and enrollment operations, ODM created a toolkit as a resource for those who interact with families on Medicaid. “This includes healthcare providers, teachers, advocates, elected officials, professional associations, community organizations, day care facilities, schools, churches, retail locations, and others.” This toolkit includes templates and materials you can use to inform Medicaid members about steps they need to take to renew their coverage or transition to other coverage if they’re no longer eligible for Medicaid.
Full Tool kit at https://medicaid.ohio.gov/