What You Need to Know About Medicaid Renewals

Beginning this summer, Minnesotans who are enrolled in Medicaid must re-enroll to keep their coverage for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. When the pandemic began, Congress enacted several laws to protect public health and help states respond to the Public Health Emergency. This included requiring all states to maintain coverage for existing Medicaid enrollees, while also adding coverage for others as they became eligible.

Now that the Public Health Emergency has ended, Medicaid coverage is returning to the way it operated prior to the pandemic. This means that eligibility reviews have resumed, and all enrollees must go through a renewal process to maintain their health coverage. This will take place on a rolling basis over the course of a year.

Approximately 1.5 million Minnesotans will be impacted by this process and unfortunately, are at risk of losing coverage if they do not complete the renewal process. State health officials want to make sure that individuals and families who currently have Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare keep their insurance if they’re still eligible. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is working to make sure that their members and the communities they serve are aware of the renewal process and have the resources they need to complete their applications and re-enroll in coverage.

“We care deeply about the health of the communities we serve, and ensuring continued healthcare coverage for all Minnesotans is of the utmost importance,” said Dr. Mark Steffen, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Blue Cross. “We don’t want anyone to experience a loss of coverage.”

Update address and contact information

For individuals and families currently covered by Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare, making sure your contact information is up-to-date will ensure that the Department of Human Services (DHS) can mail the required renewal packet and contact you when it’s time to renew coverage.

Watch your mail

Renewals have already started for many Minnesotans, so it’s extremely important to check your mail for your renewal paperwork (sent in an envelope with a blue circle marked ‘important information enclosed’) and fill it out as soon as possible.

For parents, it’s important to remember that even if you don’t think you are eligible, your children may be, and eligible children could lose coverage if the application is missed in the mail. Ensuring continued coverage is crucial to keeping children healthy through things like well visits and childhood vaccines.

Find a Navigator

Navigators specialize in Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare enrollment, and are certified by MNsure to help people renew their coverage, complete enrollment applications, update account information, follow up on enrollment processes and more.  They work to assist any consumer who contacts them for help, at no cost. You can find a navigator here.

The Importance of Equitable Care and Access to Health Coverage

Universal coverage and access to culturally relevant care is vital to the health of Minnesotans. Research shows that uninsured people are far more likely than those with insurance to delay healthcare or go without it entirely. The effects on uninsured individuals can be devastating, particularly when preventable or life-threatening conditions are left untreated, or chronic diseases are undetected.

Through its Equitable Care and Coverage program, the Blue Cross Foundation works to increase healthcare coverage across Minnesota, support community solutions to accessing to equitable care, and increase awareness about communities most impacted by a lack of healthcare access.

Part of that commitment includes partnering with community organizations across the state to support their MNsure navigators. These organizations and navigators are embedded in community and are trusted resources for those who are most in need of support around enrollment in public health insurance. This includes individuals and families who experience language barriers, technology limitations, low incomes, housing instability, mixed immigration status and marginalization.

“We know that our most vulnerable communities will be disproportionately impacted by this redetermination process, and it is imperative that we do everything we can to ensure people have the support they need,” said Bukata Hayes, vice president of racial and health equity and chief equity officer at Blue Cross, and Blue Cross Foundation board chair. “We encourage folks to find a navigator in their area and reach out for assistance to ensure continued healthcare coverage.”

Learn More and Find a Navigator

Certified navigators are listed on the MNsure Assister Directory.  MNsure also has a map to find an organization that serves individuals and families by region. The map is available in six languages: English, Hmong, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Individuals can also search for a navigator organization here.

Find Out When You’re Up for Renewal of Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare 

Enter your case number and member number on this website to look up your renewal date: https://www.mnrenewallookup.com/ 

If you do not know your case number or member number, call your county offices for support. A list of all telephone numbers for all Minnesota counties can be found here: https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-8344-ENG. 

Update Your Home Address If It Has Changed Since 2019

People on Medical Assistance should call their county government office. (Find the main phone number for your county here. For tribal members using Medical Assistance, find contact information here.)

People on MinnesotaCare can call Health Care Consumer support at (651) 297-3862 or (800) 657-3672 to update their contact information.

Learn more from Blue Cross by visiting Renewing your Medical Assistance health coverage | Blue Cross MN