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.
The full tool kit is available for download here.
ODM suggests the following methods of informing parents to “Keep your address and phone number up to date with Medicaid”, and has examples included in the toolkit.
• Drop-In Articles – brief stories suitable for use on websites and in newsletters and bulletins
• Flyers – printable flyers, great for posting in your business location or distributing by including it in packaging (such as attached to prescription medicine bags) or as a handout
• Social Media – graphic posts that can be used on your own social media accounts
• Text Messages – short reminder messages to encourage updating contact information
• Medicaid Member Mailers – direct messaging that is suitable in an email or U.S. postal format
• On-Hold Messages – messaging to be provided to Medicaid members when on hold about the impending end of the continuous coverage provision and ways they can best be prepared
• Rack Card – printable rack card in the standard size (4×9 inches)
I suggest the following flyer from the attached ODM toolkit be sent out to all IEP students and perhaps all students. I would also suggest that this flyer be posted in a prominent location on your districts’ website.
Here are additional reminders and text message examples from the toolkit that can be sent out at various times throughout the remainder of the school year also.
HBS will be posting this material on our website and our online Medicaid Documentation System so therapists are aware of this issue. The next computation of MER will be in October 2023, so it would be beneficial to get this information out to parents during the remainder of this school year, but also at the beginning of next year. Once again, it’s just one simple message:
**Make sure that your mailing address and/or email address is up to date with your “County Department of Jobs and Family Services.**
Being proactive now will help ensure maximum Medicaid reimbursement when the SFY2024 MSP Cost Report is completed and filed on December 31, 2025. Please let me know your thoughts and additional suggestions.
Thanks,
Dan Thomas
Healthcare Billing Services, Inc.