Medicaid Public Health Emergency Unwinding KHBE (2024)

Renewalsare happening! Help us get the message out to Medicaid members that we need to hear from them! If they have been terminated, they have 90 days to respond to notices to have their coverage reinstated.

Check out this Medicaid Renewals Information flier (available in Spanish) and How to Reinstate flier(available in Spanish)for members and please share it within your communities!

Check out all of KY's Communications Materials!

You can download these and use them to share information! There are KY specific fliers, CMS communications toolkit materials, and detailed information sheets here as well.

Attention Medicaid members and stakeholders: Please be mindful of possible scams around Medicaid renewals!

Remember, Kentucky Medicaid will contact you if additional information is needed to complete your renewal. We will not ask for banking information or credit card numbers and you will not be asked for payment to enroll or re-enroll in Medicaid or KCHIP – ever! Please review this graphic for additional guidance on how to know if outreach is legitimate versus a potential scam.

To update your mailing address, phone number, email, and other contact information:

If you received a MedicaidRenewal Packet or Request for Information please respond.

If you areno longer are eligible,

Check with employers to see if they offer health insurance benefits.
Enroll in a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) through kynect! You may be eligible for Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC) to help with premiums and out of pocket costs.

Medicaidrenewals resumed in May, butthe PHE is still in effect and therefore all the flexibilities that were put in place for providers and membersremain in place. When the PHEendedon May 11, 2023, some of these flexibilities werediscontinued (or unwound) and some continued based on state policy changes.Information on the impact to providers and community organizations is included below.

Here is How to Access Your Renewal Date

Stakeholder Sessions

To help support Medicaid partners, DMS is holding virtual stakeholder forums. These monthly Stakeholder Engagement meetings areto provide information about the PHE Unwinding and Medicaid renewals.You can find the materials from those sessions here:

March Stakeholder Session Recording

March Presentation Slides

View Prior Webinars from DMS

Please join us on Microsoft Teamsfor theMonthly Stakeholder Meetingevery third Thursday at 11:00 am ET.

Meeting ID: 235 003 905 881

Passcode: roy4wM

You can register for the April18, 2024session through this registration link.

If you have any questions for DMS that you would like for us to speak to during the upcoming monthly meeting, please submit those questions through this survey. Thank you!

Frequently AskedQuestions

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the PHE and the Medicaid renewal process. In addition, the KY Unwinding Stakeholder FAQ document provides further detail.It may be helpful to take a moment toreview these questionsbefore calling the kynect helpline for assistance. If you do not see an answer to your question, pleasecall the helpline at 855-4kynect (855-459-6328).

What is the PHE and what does it mean for my Medicaid?

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government declared a Public Health Emergency (PHE). During the PHE, Medicaid agencies were required to continue health care coverage for members, even if their eligibility changed,they failed to update their account information or did not submit the required paperwork.

When will the PHE end?

The PHE ended on May 11, 2023. Based on afederal law , Kentucky began annual renewals in April 2023 and will continue renewals over 12 months.

For detailed information about the flexibilities that will unwind at the end of the PHE check out CMS' fact sheets.

What happens when the PHE ends?

All Medicaid members will go through a renewal of their eligibility for Medicaid.These renewals began in May of 2023 and will continue through April of 2024.Those who are determined to be eligible will continue to receive Medicaid coverage. Those who are determined to be ineligible for coverage will be removed from Medicaid and connected to alternative coverage options in the state.

If your account information is not current in kynect, your Medicaid coverage could be at risk so make sure to update it by visiting kynect.ky.gov or calling Kynect at 855-4kynect (855-459-6328).
Members will receive a notice about 90 days before their renewal date. If your information is correct in kynect, you do not need to take any action until you are contacted about your renewal.

What can I do to keep my Medicaid?

Taking the following steps may help you keep your Medicaid coverage:

Update your contact information, including your address, phone number and email at kynect.ky.gov or by calling 855-4kynect (855-459-6328)
Answer all requests for information if you get a letter from Kentucky Medicaid
Report changes to your household to kynect, including if someone becomes pregnant,someone moves in or out of your home,changes to income, or anything else that may impact your Medicaid eligibility

What if I am no longer Medicaid-eligible?

Losing health coverage, including Medicaid coverage, is a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), which allows an individual to enroll in a kynect plan outside of the Open Enrollment Period. Consider your health care needs and plan in case your Medicaid coverage ends. kynect offers Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) that are designed to be affordable, quality coverage. Payment assistance is available to those who qualify.

Visit kynect.ky.gov or call kynect at 855-4kynect (855-459-6328) to see all your options. There are people in your community who can help, too. Find a local Department for Community Based Services office by visitingFind a DCBS Office, or a kynector or licensed insurance agent at Find kynectors.

Kentucky is focused on ensuring all applications received during the PHE are processed; those self-attested enrollments are verified; that members are renewed or redetermined appropriately and providers are up to date as credentialed Medicaid providers. Find relevant resources below for you and your organization to stay on top of the changes and make sure you are taking any steps necessary as the PHE unwinds or as renewals start!

Medicaid Member Information

The most important step to take now is to make sure your address is up-to-date in kynect. Updating your contact information on file (email, home address) will ensure timely updates and help keep your coverage. Opt in for email/SMS nudges for immediate alerts.

You will be notified of your renewal date when it is about 60 days away – keep an eye out for any communications from Medicaid tostay on top of changes.The KY PHE Renewal Pathways Brief outlines potential timelines for renewals and shows examples of notices you may receive in the mail when it is your time to renew.You can also find your renewal dateby looking in kynect and following these instructions.

If you receive a Renewal Packet for a Request for Information, please be sure to respond! Even if your circ*mstances have changed, we need to hear from you and you must act to maintain coverage.

If you lose Medicaid coverage, don't worry. There are many alternative options and you will be given next steps to enroll. Check out theQualified Health Plan and other options that may be available to you.

Individuals who have turned 65 since January 2020 and have not enrolled in Medicare benefits yet, check out this resourceand enroll in Medicare today during a Special Enrollment Period.

Medicaid Provider Information

To stay up to date on the changes that are coming, please review the PHE Flexibilities Provider Information Brief.

Providers are also encouraged to work with your patients to understand the Medicaid renewal process and what actions they may need to take. The Provider Renewals Guidance Document outlines information that you can share to support your patients through Medicaid renewals. To help support your members, providers can access member renewal data in KYHealthNet. Check out this resource to learn how to access your patient's renewal date information.

Check out this flierwe shared for providers to keep on hand for patients or post in their offices! Also, available in Spanish.

Also, DMS is required to bring providers in compliance with the revalidation requirement once the PHE is lifted. If you are a provider whose revalidation due date occurred during the PHE and as a result did not submit a revalidation to Kentucky Medicaid, we now encourage you to complete and submit a revalidation. This will allow Kentucky Medicaid to review and process your revalidation in a timely manner and in accordance with federal guidance.

Failure to submit a maintenance application to remain enrolled in Kentucky Medicaid beyond the PHE will result in your enrollment ending and prevention from billing to Kentucky Medicaid, so act now.

Please see theKY Medicaid Revalidation Newsletter to learn more about provider validations.

Waiver Participant and Provider Information

During the PHE, the Kentucky implemented changes to waiver policies through Appendix K flexibilities. Some of these will become permanent policy for participants and providers. To make changes permanent, DMS amended all six (6) of Kentucky’s 1915(c) HCBS waivers and submitted them to the CMS for approval. While they are under review, the flexibilities will remain in place. To learn more, check out theAppendix K Waiver Update - One Pager for detailed information, the Notice of Appendix K End Date, and the Model II Waiver Application Approval notice.

In addition to the FAQ, nursing facilities and intermediate care facility providers can access the Medicaid Renewal Report in KLOCS. Please see the KLOCS Provider Medicaid Renewal Report Quick Reference Guide to learn how to access a report of Medicaid Eligible Individuals who are due for renewal.

DMS has held webinars to discuss the specifics around Appendix K. The webinar recording and presentation are now available on the PHE Past Webinars pageand on the DMS COVID-19 information page.

DMS will be continually updating the COVID-19 and Appendix K FAQ. If you have general questions or comments about Appendix K, please email those to MedicaidPublicComment@ky.gov. If you have case- or situation-specific questions, please contact the 1915(c) Waiver Help Desk at (844) 784-5614 or 1915cWaiverHelpDesk@ky.gov.

Community Partner Organizations

The PHE Unwinding will impact individuals receiving Medicaid services and direct service workers providing those services. We ask that you stay up to date on anyof the upcoming PHE Unwinding changes that will impact these groups.

Please also feel free to leverage the communication materials included on this page to share with your teams and audiences. Feel free to reach out to our agency to support any ongoing efforts you are undertaking!

CHFS Agencies

Multiple internal resources will be available for our Medicaid team. There will be aDMS SharePointthat you canuse to access materials and information for various audiences about upcoming changes. This will be coming soon!