Healthfirst has launched an integrated, omnichannel campaign offering its members personalized guidance and tools for renewing their health insurance coverage. During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Healthfirst Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan, Medicaid Advantage Plus, Medicare Advantage Dual-Eligible Plan, and Managed Long-Term Care enrollees, along with all others covered by these important programs had their coverage automatically renewed. With the public health emergency now ended, individuals enrolled in these plans must renew their coverage by their renewal deadline, which varies from member to member.
The ending of autorenewals presents challenges, chief among them being potential unawareness of both the need to renew and the renewal process itself. Nationally, there are now more than 92 million people enrolled in Medicaid, a growth of 28% since the start of the pandemic. According to a report published by the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, more than 18 million people could lose coverage after autorenewals end, a large percentage of whom would remain eligible for continued coverage. Healthfirst’s coverage renewal campaign helps with this challenge by engaging members based on their individual renewal deadline date.
With multiple member touchpoints, the Healthfirst campaign includes personalized outreach to members by email, text, and phone and is supported by content on healthfirst.org and the Healthfirst NY Mobile App, and in Healthfirst’s member portal. Healthfirst members can also rely on face-to-face customer service at our 26 community offices. Members, and people interested in enrolling, can schedule an appointment online.
“In some cases, members might find out they lack coverage when they seek medical care. The worst time to find out you don't have insurance is when you actually need it,” said Errol Pierre, Healthfirst’s Senior Vice President of State Programs. “Healthfirst is strategically prioritizing the individual needs of our members based on their unique situation and renewal deadline. Our campaign is designed to support retention by creating awareness that change is coming and education on the importance of continuous coverage.”
Members interested in renewing their coverage or wanting to know more about their renewal deadline and actions needed are encouraged to visit healthfirst.org/renew.