Provider Alert! Medicaid Re-enrollment: Patients May Risk Losing Their Medicaid Plan!

Date: August 28, 2023

Attention: All Providers

Call to action: Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) would like to thank you for supporting your patients with maintaining coverage during the Medicaid re-enrollment currently underway.

Background information:

• As you may know, Medicaid coverage rules have changed, and some Medicaid recipients need to go through the renewal process to determine their eligibility for coverage. This is the result of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA, 2023) that was enacted on December 29, 2022. The CAA ended the auto-renewals for Medicaid.
• Since April 2023, HHSC has been notifying Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) members that they need to renew their Medicaid coverage or risk losing their plan and access to healthcare. Members are being notified on a rolling basis through the end of 2023.
• TCHP is also outreaching to members to encourage them to reenroll in their plan. Global communication from TCHP includes:
  • Making more than 206,970 calls to members by our internal teams
  • Hosting 42 community events
  • Mailing 18,000 flyers to provider offices
  • TCHP is also engaging members with social media posts, member newsletter articles and resources on our website dedicated to helping them maintain their coverage.

How will your patients know it is time for their renewal?

• HHSC will contact members who need to renew their coverage between now and the end of 2023. Members with a YourTexasBenefits.com account that have signed up for electronic notices will receive a renewal notice electronically via email.
• It is important that members check their mail or email and respond to the state’s request quickly. Members have 30 days to respond with a completed application. Their specific deadline will be stated in their renewal packet. If patients miss the renewal deadline, HHSC gives some members 90 days after their deadline to submit their paperwork.
• TCHP is also reaching out to members with post-term communications encouraging them to renew.

How can you help ensure your patients stay covered?

Your continued assistance is crucial to helping your patients maintain coverage. Please ask your patients to:

• Make sure their contact information is up-to-date with HHSC: Patients can visit YourTexasBenefits.com or call 2-1-1, option 2, to update their contact information.
• Submit a completed application before the due date: Patients should look out for their renewal notice from HHSC. It will come to their postal mail or if they have chosen electronic communications, in their email.
• A great way to engage your patients is to integrate reminders about renewal into your normal communications. You can include this in your social media posts, your emails, your text messages, and your on-hold messaging.
• You can also make this part of your check-in process. Flyers are available for you to share with you patients who are TCHP members. If your office is interested in flyers, please contact your Provider Relations Liaison or email Provider Relations at providerrelations@texaschildrens.org.

Remember, TCHP is always available to assist members with their renewals.

• We have lots of resources on our website, texaschildrenshealthplan.org/renew
• Members can call TCHP toll-free 1-800-990-8247 (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
• We’ve added Application Assistance staff to support more members with their renewals. Members can learn more at texaschildrenshealthplan.org/get-covered/help-me-apply to connect with our Application Assistance team and fill out a request form.

If you have any questions, please email Provider Relations at: providerrelations@texaschildrens.org.For access to all provider alerts,log into:
www.thecheckup.org or www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/for-providers.