Thousands of Wyoming families know that Medicaid provides life-saving health coverage. What is less known is that changes to the public health insurance program added steps for people to keep their benefits. The nonprofit Enroll Wyoming is spreading the word about the new rules and the free assistance available to re-enroll and find affordable health insurance.
About 1 in 10 Wyoming residents were covered by Medicaid at the start of 2023. As the largest single source of health insurance coverage in the United States, the program provides medical assistance to low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities. Many who are covered by the program have never gone through the re-enrollment process because eligibility checks were paused in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time participants kept the health insurance with no questions asked.
Earlier this spring, Wyoming Medicaid revised that policy and restarted the annual Medicaid application reviews. Everyone in the program will be required to re-enroll and those applications will be evaluated to see if they still meet requirements like age and income.
To make sure eligibility determinations are accurate and go smoothly, enrollees need to make sure their correct contact information is on file with Wyoming Medicaid. Eligible families will lose their coverage if they cannot be reached or if they do not respond to requests for additional information. Enrollees should call 855-294-2127 or visit www.wesystem.wyo.gov, where they can update their contact details, and then watch for text, email, or print updates on their status.
Of the more than 83.1 million people enrolled in Medicaid nationally, at least 15 million are expected to lose their benefits. For those who are worried or unsure about future steps, free help is available from the trained experts at Enroll Wyoming to help people find health coverage.
“Enroll Wyoming is a nonprofit group offering completely free assistance to people who need help navigating their health care options,” said Erik Saulness, one of the many navigators who do not have sales incentives or sales quotas.
Families can dial 211 or visit enrollwyo.org to get free help to re-enroll in Medicaid or find alternative coverage if they no longer qualify. Those who lose Medicaid benefits may qualify for special enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace that was created to make policies more affordable. Four out of five applicants qualify for insurance that costs less than $50 a month.
“Please take the time to confirm your contact information with Wyoming Medicaid,” Enroll Wyoming Program Manager Jason Mincer said. “Finding out you have lost your Medicaid coverage when paying for a prescription or after a doctor’s visit is expensive and extremely frustrating.”
Many Medicaid users do not know about the latest program changes. If you or someone you know relies on Medicaid, please tell them about the importance of updating contact information and the free resources available to help families find health insurance. Enroll Wyoming is here to help.