Dear Avisery Members, 

At the most recent meeting of the Medicaid Advisory Committee (MAC) Public Education Subcommittee, Illinois Department of Health and Family Service (HFS) staff announced Illinois’ plans for the unwinding of the Medicaid “continuous eligibility” provision. That provision is no longer attached to the Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration and will expire on April 1st, 2023. The slide deck that was presented at the meeting is available at this link: HFS Presentation (illinois.gov). It contains important information for professionals who work with Medicaid consumers. 

Background 

As part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) of 2020, states received an enhanced federal match (FMAP) in order to maintain “continuous eligibility” for individuals enrolled in the Medicaid program. The enhanced FMAP and continuous coverage were to continue as long as there was a declared Public Health Emergency (PHE). 

In Illinois, Medicaid continuous eligibility has meant that, since 2020, people who are enrolled in Medicaid have not been required to complete redeterminations to renew their Medicaid benefits. Additionally, the asset test for the Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD) category was waived during the PHE so that new AABD applicants could be eligible even if they were above the traditional asset limit. (Note that the income test does still apply for new applicants.) 

On December 29th, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2023. As part of the CAA, the Medicaid continuous eligibility provision has been split from the Public Health Emergency declaration. States may begin sending redeterminations to individuals with Medicaid as early as February 1st, and coverage for individuals in some states may end as early as April 1st, 2023. 

At the MAC Public Education Subcommittee meeting last week, HFS announced that the first batch of Medicaid redeterminations in Illinois will be mailed on May 1st, 2023, the latest date permitted by CMS. If someone is found ineligible, they could lose Medicaid coverage as early as July 1st, 2023. The asset test will also be reinstated, and new applicants and those submitting redeterminations will be required to report resources (i.e., assets) in addition to income. 

How Providers and Community Partners Can Prepare for the Unwinding 

Right now, community partners can make sure individuals with Medicaid do not lose coverage by checking that they have updated their mailing address with HFS. This will ensure that they receive their redetermination notice when it is sent. Address updates can be completed over the phone at (877) 805-5312, at the HFS Address Update portal, or through the Manage My Case (MMC) portal at https://abe.illinois.gov. See the HFS Address Toolkit for more information. Someone can know what their next redetermination date will be by calling (800) 843-6154 or by logging into the MMC portal. 

In the coming months, Avisery will be providing frequent updates to our email list on the Unwinding. We encourage folks to share our alerts with their colleagues. As always, please reach out to us at Avisery@ageoptions.org or at 708-628-3440 for technical assistance with any Medicare or Medicaid issue. Please do not email any personal client information.