Up to 300,000 North Carolinians currently on Medicaid could lose full health care coverage due to a budget bill Congress passed in December.
At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the federal government required states to keep people on Medicaid, which meant individuals didn’t have to be reevaluated to renew each year. This was to last as long as the country was in a public health emergency.
While the public health emergency was renewed last month, what’s known as “continuous coverage” will end on March 31st. In April, states including North Carolina, will require people on Medicaid to sign up to renew their coverage for the first time in years.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says it is preparing for the massive task of requalifying Medicaid beneficiaries for coverage. The department recognizes people will lose coverage in this process, but the goal is to ensure people eligible for Medicaid do not lose coverage and those no longer eligible are transitioned smoothly to affordable health plans.
The redetermination process will start April 1st and each renewal can take up to 90 days. NCDHHS says it will reach out to Medicaid beneficiaries to alert them of this process.