John Bel Edwards Urges Louisiana Medicaid Members To Update Contact Information

By Julie O'Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator

March 31, 2023

13:12
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• Health
• Health Care
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John Bel Edwards urges Louisiana Medicaid members to update contact information

By: Julie O'Donoghue - March 31, 2023 1:12 pm

Louisiana officials say as many as 355,000 people could be removed from the Medicaid health insurance program over the next year. (Getty Images)

Gov. John Bel Edwards is asking Louisiana’s 2 million Medicaid members to confirm or update their contact information ahead of a massive disenrollment from the public health insurance plan that will be taking place across the country.

Over the next year, Louisiana’s Department of Health will be sending letters and renewal packets to the state’s Medicaid enrollees to make sure each member meets the program’s qualifications. The packets will go out on a rolling basis for the next 12 months, meaning not everyone will receive their renewal forms at the same time.

Edwards and other government officials are urging Medicaid members to make sure their home address and other contact information are up to date so renewal packets are sent to the right address.

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Louisiana expects to use electronic methods to recheck the Medicaid status of many enrollees, but the health department estimates that one million people will have to “take action” to keep themselves on the public health insurance plan.

The federal government has provided financial incentives for states to keep their Medicaid rolls inflated since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but those benefits will start winding down in April.

Now Louisiana must sort through who still qualifies for the program. Health officials estimate between 280,000 and 350,000 people could be removed from the state’s Medicaid list as a result of the massive status check taking place over the next year.

Advocates worry culling the rolls will eliminate not only people who no longer qualify for Medicaid, but also those who don’t return their paperwork or provide contact information in a timely manner.

Medicaid provides health insurance to people who are low-income, pregnant, postpartum or have a disability. The income thresholds to enter the program fluctuate, depending on the medical condition that allows someone to initially qualify.

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For example, adults who qualify for Medicaid because they are low-income cannot make more than $3,192 per month for a family of four, but children in a family of four can still qualify for some Medicaid coverage if their monthly household income is as high as $5,897.

Children with disabilities in a family of four have an even higher income threshold and can be on Medicaid if the family makes up $6,938 per month, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. Medicaid members can check and update their contact information in the following ways:

• Logging on to www.MyMedicaid.la.gov
• Emailing MyMedicaid@la.gov
• Calling your health plan on the number on your ID card
• Calling Medicaid’s Customer Service Center at 1-888-342-6207. Assistance is available, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
• In-person help is available at all regional Medicaid offices. For the nearest office, visit www.ldh.la.gov/medicaidoffices

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Julie O'Donoghue

Julie O’Donoghue is a senior reporter for the Louisiana Illuminator. She’s received awards from the Virginia Press Association and Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press.

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