- 2016 Federal Poverty Level Guidelines Now Available
- Virginia's SNAP Waiver
- New FAMIS Brochure
- FAMIS Select Outreach
- Cover Virginia Website Expanded Languages
- Open Enrollment - A Big Success
- Spring SignUpNow Trainings
- CoventryCares Name Change
- FAMIS Program Enrollment Numbers
- Useful Resources for Clients
2016 Federal Poverty Level Guidelines Now Available
The 2016 Federal Poverty Level Guidelines were released, effective January 25, 2016. The new income levels impact all FAMIS programs and Plan First, among other state-sponsored programs.
You can find the updated Virginia State-Sponsored Health Insurance Programs income chart under
SignUpNow
on the VHCF
website
or click
here
for the PDF version.
You can also access the latest eligibility charts and the updated screening tool on the Cover Virginia website at www.coverva.org.
Please note that the LIFC guidelines are based on the Consumer Price Index, not the Federal Poverty Level, and will be updated in July of 2016.
Medicaid Waiver
Virginia received a federal waiver to use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) income data to assist in completing overdue and currently due renewals. This waiver is set to run until October 2016. It will allow the Department of Social Services to use income data from SNAP to automatically renew an individual's Medicaid coverage for certain categories of individuals. If a person's Medicaid coverage is renewed using this waiver, they will receive a Notice of Action from their local DSS, stating that their coverage is renewed until the date provided on the letter. This waiver is expected to reduce the number of renewals waiting to be processed.
New FAMIS Brochure
A fresh new
FAMIS brochure has been designed and is now available in English. To order online via the Cover Virginia Website
(click on "Partners" in the upper right corner of the site, then click on "Materials" and a listing of all items available for order and print-as-you-go items will appear.)
The Spanish version of the brochure will be available later this spring.
FAMIS Select Outreach
There is an effort underway to educate FAMIS families about the FAMIS
Select
program. The Department of Medical Assistance Services (
DMAS
) recently mailed flyers to 34,000 FAMIS enrolled households that explain the benefits of FAMIS
Select
. Individuals can go to the FAMIS
Select
page on
www.coverva.org
to get more information and apply for the program using the new FAMIS
Select
online application.
Cover Virginia Website Expanded Languages
Now when you go to www.coverva.org and click on Google Translate at the foot of the page, you can select any of 48 languages to have the content translated. Previously, this service was only active for ten languages. Please note that pdf documents will not be able to be translated as they are not native to the website. DMAS has also added six new languages to the Information Flyers, which can be downloaded from the website
Open Enrollment - A Big Success
The third Open Enrollment Period ended with much to celebrate. Nearly 421,900 people signed up for health insurance through the federal Marketplace from November 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016, exceeding the Commonwealth's expectations that enrollment would reach 400,000 people.
People may still obtain health insurance via the Marketplace if they experience certain life-changing events, like getting married, having a baby, or losing other coverage.
Don't forget, for Medicaid and FAMIS, people can apply 365 days a year!
Spring SignUpNow Trainings!
SignUpNow
State-Sponsored Health Insurance for Children and Pregnant Women trainings will be held around the Commonwealth in the coming months. VHCF will be in Fredericksburg (May 12), Harrisonburg (May 17),
Hampton (May 31), Richmond (June 1), Fairfax (June 22) Abingdon (June 28), and Roanoke (June 29). Details are available
here
.
Name Change for CoventryCares
Coventry's Medicaid program in Virginia will change from CoventryCares of Virginia to Aetna Better Health of Virginia, effective April 1, 2016. To assure a smooth transition with minimal disruption for CoventryCares members, Member and Provider communications were sent 60 days prior to implementation. A second 30-day notice is also being sent. Aetna will place robo calls to current members, as well. The name change will also be reflected with a new website address at www.aetnabetterhealth.com/virginia and a new logo.
FAMIS Program Enrollment as of March 1, 2016:
- 57,914 children were enrolled in FAMIS (including 86 in FAMIS Select)
- 518,710 children were enrolled in FAMIS Plus (including 50,506 in the CHIP Medicaid Expansion)
- 1,097 pregnant women were enrolled in FAMIS MOMS
- 16,493 pregnant women were enrolled in Medicaid for Pregnant Women
- 113,476 men and women were enrolled in Plan First
- 626 former foster care youth are enrolled in Medicaid
Useful Resources for Clients:
- For help finding a dentist or scheduling an appointment, call Smiles For Children at 1-888-912-3456.
- FAMIS Plus children needing transportation to and from medical and dental appointments should call their Managed Care organization:
- Anthem Healthkeepers Plus: 1-877-892-3988
- Aetna Better Health of Virginia: 1-800-734-0430 (effective April 1)
- INTotal Health: 1-800-894-8396
- Kaiser: 1-866-823-8350
- Optima Family Care: 1-877-892-3986
- Virginia Premier: 1-800-727-7536
*Children in Fee For Service (not enrolled in one of the Managed Care plans) can request transportation to and from medical and dental appointments through LogistiCare at (866) 386-8331.
- Medicaid/FAMIS Plus enrollees can call the Medicaid Managed Care Helpline at 1-800-643-2273 to choose or change an MCO.
- FAMIS or FAMIS MOMS enrollees can call Cover Virginia at 1-855-242-8282 for help choosing or changing a Managed Care Plan.
- The Governor's Access Plan (GAP) provides care coordination for low-income uninsured adults with serious mental illness (SMI). For more information about GAP, email [email protected]. To apply, call 1-855-869-8190.
- Medicaid and FAMIS enrollees in mental health crisis can call Magellan 24 hours a day at 1-800-424-4046.
- To replace a lost or stolen Commonwealth of Virginia health insurance card or to report a change in address, income or household composition, call Cover Virginia at 1-855-242-8282.
- For help with the 1095-B Proof of Health Insurance Tax Form for Medicaid and FAMIS, call the Helpline at 1-844-803-5600
