While the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) hasn’t disenrolled Medicaid and KidsCare members, regardless of eligibility, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, AHCCCS is redetermining eligibility for the programs on April 1st.
Eligibility redeterminations come shortly after the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 was passed last December, and includes changes to the Medicaid payment program and requirements.
KidsCare is Arizona’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and is offered by AHCCCS to eligible children under 19 years, who aren’t eligible for other AHCCCS health insurance.
“Once we return to the normal renewal and disenrollment process on April 1st, AHCCCS will redetermine eligibility for every enrolled member over the course of 12 months,” AHCCCS Public Information Office Heidi Capriotti told State of Reform.
About 75% of AHCCCS members will be automatically determined and will not need to take action to continue coverage.
“More than 600,000 members are at risk of losing coverage, either due to factual ineligibility (no longer meeting income criteria), or because they have not responded to our requests for additional information to be able to make an eligibility determination,” Capriotti told State of Reform.
According to Capriotti, the majority of the agency’s members are enrolled in Medicaid, but approximately 4% of the 600,000 who are at risk of losing coverage are enrolled in KidsCare.
“We don’t want any member to lose coverage simply for not responding!,” Capriotti told State of Reform.
To prevent gaps in coverage, individuals should make sure their mailing address, phone number, and email address on file are up-to-date in the Health-e-Arizona Plus website. Those without internet access can call Health-e-Arizona Plus at +1(855)432-7587 on Monday through Friday from 7 am. to 6 pm. AHCCCS also recommends checking mailboxes for a letter about coverage renewal and responding to any requests from AHCCCS for more information.
If individuals are no longer eligible, they will receive a notice of when enrollment will end, information about how to appeal that decision if it’s believed the disenrollment was an error, and information about other healthcare coverage options.
Those who no longer qualify for coverage through AHCCCS may have other options through the federal healthcare marketplace. For assistance with finding healthcare coverage, individuals are encouraged to call or visit 2-1-1, which connects experts with local resources. Military veterans can also locate more health care resources at Be Connected Arizona, which connects Arizonan service members and their families with information, support, and resources.