By ZACH WENDLING
Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Medicaid renewals have been paused for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but as renewals restart, about 145,000 Nebraskans are at risk of losing coverage.
Changes in federal law mean the eligibility of Medicaid recipients is now being reviewed, returning to “normal” eligibility requirements.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services began March 1 processing the accounts of Nebraskans whose renewal months are April and May. As a result, Nebraskans could begin to lose coverage this month, even though some may still be eligible for Medicaid.
Nate Watson, deputy director for communications and compliance in Nebraska DHHS’s Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care, said the most important thing Nebraskans can do is update their contact information.
Nebraskans can visit or call ACCESSNebraska to update their information or see when their renewal month is. DHHS also has local offices throughout the state to assist Medicaid recipients.
Watson said the best estimate is that 10-20% of the nearly 390,000 Nebraskans on Medicaid — about 40,000 to 80,000 — could lose coverage, which is in line with national trends.
“That is an educated guess,” he said. “We do not know for sure.”
Some could lose eligibility unnecessarily, Watson noted, if the department cannot reach enrollees when more information is required to verify eligibility. This could be done via mail, and enrollees may need to send pay stubs or other identifying information.
“They might still be eligible, but if we can’t reach them, because we’ve got a question to ask them to show they’re still eligible, well, then they’re going to lose coverage,” Watson said. “Our primary goal is to make certain that individuals who still want to receive Medicaid and are eligible to receive Medicaid, can.”
Kelsey Arends, Health Care Access staff attorney for Nebraska Appleseed, said people who are enrolled in Medicaid usually are because they can’t afford other types of insurance.
“It’s a really critical program for folks who have limited options in terms of health care coverage,” she said.
Arends said there are disparities in who could lose coverage, particularly for children, but also based on race and ethnicity, which are “exacerbated” in this process.
“We know health care coverage is vital to keeping individual Nebraskans and our communities healthy,” Arends added.
Nebraska Appleseed has a step-by-step guide for following the Medicaid renewal process and can also help Nebraskans manage the process.
Watson said the department tries to process renewals without contacting enrollees if their information is available in multiple state or federal databases.
One common reason for ineligibility could be that someone’s income is above the limit for their current situation.
Watson said the department can assist people in finding different options if needed, which may be available through the federal marketplace at little to no cost.
“We know that it can be very confusing dealing with the governmental program,” Watson said. “We want to continue to provide that great customer service to answer any questions that an individual may have to alleviate any concerns about what things might mean, as well as the timing of when their renewal will take place.”