Helping Consumers Navigate Medicaid, the Marketplace, and Employer Coverage
Tara Straw, Manatt Health and Julie Bataille, GMMB
The 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act separated the Medicaid continuous coverage provision from the COVID-19 public health emergency and provided a fixed end date of March 31, 2023 for the Medicaid continuous coverage guarantee. Many consumers will find the relationship between Medicaid, the marketplace, and employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) to be more complicated than ever in 2023 as the unwinding of the continuous coverage requirement begins. Roughly 18 million people are expected to lose Medicaid coverage of which 9.5 million are expected to enroll in ESI. Much of the focus of Medicaid unwinding planning in states and the federal government has been on helping eligible people keep Medicaid coverage and steering the millions of people losing Medicaid eligibility toward the health insurance marketplace. Less attention has been devoted to the millions of people who are expected to be eligible for ESI when their Medicaid coverage ends. This issue brief discusses how state Medicaid agencies, state-based marketplaces, labor departments, and employers can play critical roles in helping people understand and navigate their coverage options.
To support communications efforts during the unwinding, SHVS has also producedsample messaging for state departments of labor to share with the employer community which explains the unwinding and coverage options for employees.
On April 26, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights released a final rule interpreting section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act , which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. This expert perspective reviews the implications of the rule for state policymakers.
As states continue to explore new ways to reach Medicaid and Marketplace members with targeted messages and updates about their coverage, many have incorporated SMS text messaging into their communications plans. This expert perspective highlights strategies and recommendations for states that are considering or currently implementing text messaging in their outreach plans to support states as they look to optimize text messaging in their Medicaid and Marketplace communications and outreach efforts.
The healthcare affordability crisis has resulted in an estimated 100 million Americans, or 41% of adults, holding some form of medical debt. The consequences of medical debt are profound, from financial strain to worsened health outcomes, and there are significant health equity implications. States are moving to eradicate medical debt for low income residents and protect residents from the financial consequences. This expert perspective highlights state action to cancel medical debt and/or prohibit medical debt reporting.