ALABAMA (WHNT) — For the past few years, Medicaid recipients have been part of a continued enrollment period put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Alabama’s Medicaid benefits are currently in the process of being phased out, meaning some people will lose their coverage.
“We know that some people don’t meet the criteria,” said Jennifer Harris, a senior health policy advocate. “Alabama Medicaid eligibility standards are among the lowest in the nation.”
Harris works with workforce advocacy groups Alabama Arise, said they should always be on the lookout for documentation requests from Medicaid officials. Current recipients will have to submit new information, a process that has been waived for the past several years.
“When this happens, other populations are impacted even more, such as unhoused residents and children of immigrant parents,” Harris said. “They may not understand that children who are eligible for insurance can also be insured. There may be a language barrier when making those decisions.”
From 2019 to 2021, the number of Alabamians is eligible for Medicaid On a monthly basis, the number increased by more than 130,000 people. Harris said the number of eligible people will likely return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of May.
She says this mitigation process will create coverage gaps for some people living in Alabama.
“Because their wages are low, their premiums are not as affordable. And because we haven’t expanded Medicaid, these subsidies don’t exist and aren’t available to them,” Harris said. “Insurance policies in the Marketplace can be more expensive for low-income people than for middle-income people because of the lack of Medicaid expansion.”
If you think your access to health care may be affected by the Medicaid cancellation process, you can: talk to someone today. When you register with Alabama, a federally funded group that helps people navigate the health care market, you can talk by phone or in person.
Alabama Arise online tool kit Answers frequently asked questions and provides information on how to appeal a failed eligibility determination.
The Alabama Hospital Association is currently working to close the health insurance gap through public-private partnerships with insurance companies. State officials plan to hear proposals from the organizations next week.
