OPEN ENROLLMENT CONTINUES – SIGN UP BY JANUARY 16
The NDNRC Weekly Update will return in two weeks on January 4, 2024. Happy Holidays and New Year from AAHD!
Last week was the deadline to enroll in coverage that would have started on January 1, but Open Enrollment continues, allowing people to sign up until January 16, 2024, for coverage that starts on February 1, 2024. Sign up for healthcare coverage if Medicaid coverage was lost during the unwinding or if plans need to be reviewed and changed.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be observing a “Pre-Existing Condition and Disability Week of Action” from December 31, 2023, to January 6, 2024. CMS released a social media toolkit with talking points and graphics.
As of December 21, over 13.3 million Medicaid enrollees have lost coverage, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 34% of those who completed the renewal process were disenrolled and 23.9 million enrollees were able to qualify for renewed coverage. The large range of disenrollment rates in each state varies, with the highest of 62% being in Texas and the lowest of 10% in Maine. Out of all states with available data, 71% of all those disenrolled were due to procedural reasons.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that enrollment in the Marketplace has exceeded over 15 million enrollees, a 33% increase from last year’s open enrollment period. Millions of Americans have had to apply for coverage through the Marketplace after losing Medicaid coverage during the unwinding, which could be a factor in increased enrollment rates.
Don’t forget to review our latest factsheet on assisting consumers with communication needs, complete with an accessible PDF version. This factsheet is intended to help Navigators who work with people with disabilities who have communication-related needs in the process of applying for health insurance coverage through the Marketplace. It also covers general and population specific strategies and guidelines on how to provide effective and accessible communication to consumers.
Navigators who work with people with disabilities should have all the resources that they need as it relates to enrollment in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace during Open Enrollment from November 1 to January 16. These resources consist of a Disability Guide to help in identifying issues that are central to healthcare insurance for people with disabilities along with 17 topical and 9 population specific factsheets.
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The CHIRblog released another Navigator Guide focusing on the risks of enrolling in coverage outside of the Marketplace. This FAQ goes over how to access options to compare to other plans, health care sharing ministries, and the risks of buying a fixed indemnity plan. People with disabilities can work with Navigators to ensure that they are getting the most accessible and affordable healthcare coverage before considering other coverage options.
They released a review of the No Surprises Act from early complaint data, which aims to lower costs and protect consumers. The data showed support for prior research data and cost containment impact.
They also conducted an expansive review of the proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) for 2025. The NBPP proposed standardized open enrollment periods, extending the OEP beyond the January 15 deadline, and reducing consumer confusion. Comments on the proposed rule are due on January 2, 2024.
Data from HHS shows states that were successful in maintaining coverage for children, which includes children with disabilities. Letters were sent to urge governors of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas to adopt additional federal strategies to help keep children and their families insured and avoid red taping.
The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) continues to track data from the unwinding and found that this year, 3 million fewer children have been enrolled in Medicaid. As mentioned above, states must adopt more flexible strategies in ensuring that children maintain coverage.
CCF covered transitional medical assistance (TMA), a mandatory eligibility category that we are currently seeing with the unwinding. TMA provides medical coverage of up to 12 months for children and their families and was covered by an FAQ released by CMS, providing valuable information for states that experience higher coverage gaps.
Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website.