400,000 may lose Medicaid; Plan your outreach with these resources

An agent’s guide to Michigan’s Medicaid unwinding resources

Good news for Michiganders: According to Georgetown University[i], we’re one of 10 states that has published a complete set of documentation on how the state will handle the Medicaid unwinding. That means that there is a wealth of information for you to consider as you plan your prospect and client outreach. We’ve pulled out the most relevant points in six of these documents, so you can use the information in the ways that are most impactful to you.

MDHHS COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Unwinding Operational Plan: This document offers the most comprehensive guidance about the state’s approach to ending the public health emergency.

Here’s what you’ll want to read:

Beginning on page 6, the state details its timeline for Medicaid redeterminations. Of note, the state plans to evaluate each Medicaid case during the beneficiaries’ regular renewal month. For example, a beneficiary who had an August renewal month before the pandemic can expect their renewal and redetermination to occur in August of this year.

This hypothetical beneficiary could expect notice of their renewal 60 days prior to the renewal date (e.g. – in June), and a notice of final action 10 days before the end of their coverage (August 21). If the renewal is not completed, or the beneficiary is ineligible for Medicaid, their coverage would expire on August 31.

I have Medicaid, What do I do now? This landing page on the state’s website is designed for current Medicaid beneficiaries. It encourages them to update their MI Bridges accounts and to prepare for the renewal process. If you have D-SNP members in your book of business, or are aware of previous clients who may have enrolled in Medicaid during the public health emergency, this is a link you’ll want to get in their hands.

Providing this link is a great opportunity for you to encourage clients to update their account information. Those with outdated contact information will not be aware of their change in eligibility, and therefore will not know they need to contact you. The door for a new health plan might be open for them, but they won’t know to walk through it. You can be there to help usher them in.

COVID-19 PHE Frequently Asked Questions: The state has also published a few banks of FAQs, each with a different audience. The General Questions page and the Eligibility and Renewal Questions page are where you’ll likely find the most mileage. In particular, that second set of questions will be valuable to distribute to both your D-SNP members, and/or those clients who may have become Medicaid-eligible during the PHE. The FAQ covers everything from how beneficiaries will receive their renewal packets, to what options they’ll have if they become ineligible for Medicaid. Again, these links can be great conversation starters as you consult with your prospects and clients about their next steps.

Finally, the state has also published a set of fliers and social media graphics you might also use to communicate about the upcoming unwinding. These could also drum up conversation on your own social media pages – or might just be good collateral to have around the office. You never know when someone cruising your page might share a post to a new client – or when an existing client might think of one of their friends who might be facing the end of their Medicaid coverage.

Final thoughts

Medicaid’s great unwinding presents a unique opportunity to health insurance agents and brokers seeking to grow their business in the individual under 65 and Medicare markets. Since redeterminations will begin in April, it’s imperative that you start planning your prospect and client outreach. This set of tools provides you a variety of entry points to those conversations.

i https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2022/09/06/state-unwinding-tracker/