What to know if you’re losing your Medicaid coverage in Alabama
As pandemic-era Medicaid benefits wind down, many Alabamians who once had coverage could lose their eligibility. Several groups want people to know they still have options when it comes to healthcare.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Medicaid “unwinding” has begun, and healthcare advocates say an estimated 80,000 Alabamians could lose their coverage.
With the public health emergency in place, states got funding to keep people on Medicaid, referred to as continuous eligibility enrollment.
Now that the public health emergency is over, Medicaid is going back to initial eligibility requirements, and several people may no longer have access to it or the programs that fall under its umbrella.
Alabama Arise, a group that advocates for Alabamians marginalized by poverty, say there’s a huge gap of people who make too much for Medicaid, but not enough to qualify for the health insurance marketplace or private coverage through their employer.
They want to make sure that those people know they still have options.
“We’re working with Enroll Alabama, so navigators will be reaching out to individuals who will lose their coverage to talk to them about what options are available in the marketplace,” explains Jennifer Harris, who is a Health Policy Advocate with Alabama Arise. “We also want people to understand how they can get involved. We can let our representatives know how important it is that everyone has access to affordable healthcare coverage.”
Alabama Arise and Enroll Alabama both have more information and resources on what options you have for healthcare on their websites.
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