Arizona is among the first states to begin the Medicaid renewal process after the government paused disenrollments during the pandemic.
But experts with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) say that doesn’t mean anyone will be “kicked off” of Medicaid.
“I’m seeing a lot of headlines that say, ‘Arizona to kick people off Medicaid,’ but that’s not entirely what’s happening,” says Heidi Capriotti, the public information officer for AHCCCS. “We are renewing everyone and disenrolling those who are no longer eligible.”
Over 2.5 million Arizonans are currently covered by AHCCCS. Capriotti says that since 2020, enrollment has increased by 35 percent.
“People may have come on to AHCCCS when they had a job loss or experienced some other kind of economic impact, and perhaps they’ve gone back to work since,” Capriotti explains.
Other scenarios that would make someone ineligible include moving out-of-state.
“What’s really important is that no one goes without healthcare coverage,” Capriotti says. “So if someone is no longer eligible for Medicaid, there are other healthcare options available.”
Those options include employer plans or assistance from Veterans Affairs for those who have served.
The most important thing to do if there are concerns about getting disenrolled updating your contact information on HealthEArizonaPlus.gov.
“It will take 12 months to renew all 2.5 million members so we’re asking members to just update their contact information, sign up for text messages or email alerts,” Capriotti says.
AHCCCS will contact every member prior to the month of their renewal. For those who are no longer eligible, AHCCCS has other resources for Arizonans to utilize.
“We also have community assisters available at the HealthEArizonaPlus.gov website,” Capriotti says. “So if they’d be more comfortable talking to a person or going to a [Department of Economic Security] office, they can find community assisters in DES offices around the state to help them when their renewals come due.”