Re: Thousands of Democrats lose Medicaid coverage in Illinois after pandemic extension ends

[Thank Joe Biden]

On 15 Jun 2023, Woke DeSantis <now...@protonmail.com> posted some
news:u6f7uf$edbv$1...@dont-email.me:

> The assholes should never have been on Medicaid to begin with. Get a
> job you lazy Democrat niggers.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — More than 47,000 Illinoisans lost Medicaid
coverage last week after the pandemic-era extension ended.

The federal government essentially froze the redetermination process of
making sure you are eligible for Medicaid due to the pandemic, but since
that extension ended many are left without it.

We spoke with some local resources that can help.

Thousands of Illinoisans rely on Medicaid when it comes to medical needs
like disabilities, medications, nursing homes, and pregnancy care.

“It's going to have a very substantial impact because nobody has really
had their eligibility checked for these last three years," said
Stephanie Altman, the Senior Director of Policy for the Shriver Center
on Poverty Law.

Now many are left without coverage after the pandemic-era extension
ended.

It started back in 2020 and lasted for three years with people getting
the chance to bypass the redetermination process even if their income
changed, but now that process needs to happen every year.

“There’s a lot of people who aren’t familiar with that, you know,
process and have moved or their information has changed and they may
miss that deadline," Altman said.

If you now find yourself ineligible or not covered by Medicaid there are
some things you can do.

“For a good number of them, they're still eligible for Medicaid. They
either just didn't get the form that they're supposed to fill out or
they changed addresses," Altman said, "for people who aren't eligible
for Medicaid anymore, they will have to find new forms of coverage.”

Other forms of coverage include receiving financial assistance when it
comes to getting health insurance.

Other resources are able to help you locally here in Springfield.

“We'll get a list of patients of ours that need to redetermine from Blue
Cross Blue Shield. Once we get that list. we have staff members who will
actually actively reach out to those patients and assist them with the
redetermination process," said Heather Burton, Chief Executive Officer
for Central Counties Health Centers.

This applies even if your insurance has lapsed.

“If a patient happens to come in and it turns out that their Medicaid
has lapsed and we're not able to get the application process completed
right here on-site at that time, we will still see the patient and the
patient can be seen as an uninsured patient," Burton said.

Experts warn that because of this, there could be a backlog or delay in
the process of applying for Medicare even if you are not currently
covered.

“We want to make sure that the smallest number of people, the least
number of people, end up uninsured or not on Medicaid, you know, back on
Medicaid as soon as possible," Altman said.

Certain things you have to confirm during your redetermination process
include proof of your age as well as your income.

If you are still eligible and complete the process, you should be
reinstated for coverage within 90 days.

https://newschannel20.com/news/local/thousands-lose-medicaid-coverage-in-
illinois-after-pandemic-extension-ends