COLUMBIA, Tenn. — Maury Regional Health (MRH) wants patients to be aware of an upcoming Affordable Care Act (ACA) special enrollment period so those losing TennCare or CoverKids benefits don’t have a gap in health insurance coverage.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will open the special enrollment period from March 31, 2023-July 31, 2024. It’s exclusively for those who are losing TennCare or CoverKids coverage.
TennCare is the state of Tennessee’s Medicaid program and provides health insurance to more than 1.7 million Tennesseans, according to the Tennessee Division of TennCare. CoverKids is part of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides health insurance to uninsured children.
All TennCare and CoverKids members will have their eligibility reviewed starting April 1 — for the first time in three years — due to legislation ending the Medicaid continuous enrollment period related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members will be selected for review when their renewal dates naturally fell. For example, if they were due to renew in June 2020, their renewal date would be in June 2023.
For members no longer eligible for TennCare or CoverKids benefits, their information will be sent to the federal Health Care Marketplace, as required by CMS, where alternative health insurance options are available. Those eligible will have 60 days after they submit their application to select a HealthCare.gov Marketplace plan. Coverage starts the first day of the month after they select a plan.
More information on TennCare and the renewal process can be found at tn.gov/tenncare/renewals. Maury Regional Health also has certified financial counselors available to answer questions. For more information, call 931.381.1111, extension 7262, or go to MauryRegional.com/TennCare.