In response to the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alaska state health department is implementing significant changes to its Medicaid renewal procedures. The primary objective is to ensure that more Alaskans maintain their Medicaid coverage without being disenrolled due to procedural or paperwork issues.
This shift comes after a startling 37% of Alaska’s Medicaid recipients were disenrolled during the initial four months following the COVID-19 pause, despite many of them remaining eligible but in need of updated paperwork. Often, individuals enrolled in the program simply lacked an updated address on file, preventing them from receiving the necessary documents.
Alaska to Ensure Continued Medicaid Coverage for Thousands
Deb Etheridge, the director of the state Division of Public Assistance, announced a crucial change in the way Medicaid renewals will be processed. Instead of renewing coverage for entire family units, the department will now handle renewals on an individual basis. This means that even if a family’s coverage cannot be automatically renewed, individual family members may still have their Medicaid coverage extended automatically.
To facilitate this transition, Medicaid disenrollments have been temporarily paused once again, allowing the department to thoroughly review paperwork for families who have already experienced disenrollment. The changes are from the regular family-based to the individual-based renewals, that reflect a more empathetic and streamlined approach for those who are at risk of loss of their medical coverage to stay protected.
Alaska Offers Free Programs, Beside Medicare, for Better Health
Over the last three weeks, the department has successfully re-enrolled over 400 children and 200 adults who had previously been removed from the program, according to Etheridge. The temporary suspension will remain in effect until they have thoroughly reviewed the documentation for all the families who were disenrolled since the processing began back in May.
The state’s government offers a number of programs to improve the health of Alaskans, and all of them are absolutely free. You can opt for the plans to lose weight and prevent diabetes or, for those people who are already dealing with diabetes, there are programs to manage sugar levels and have the disease at bay. Other programs help people to lower blood pressure, stop smoking and vaping or even to stop chewing tobacco.
You can find the most up-to-date information, and embark on the process of renewing your Medicaid coverage in Alaska, you can go to the official website of the Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Assistance.