MD PPC ALERT ON MEDICAID: You may no longer be eligible

The Poor People’s Campaign is committed to Health Care for ALL.

FACT:
This spring up to 15 million Americans face losing their Medicaid coverage when Extended Pandemic Emergency Medicaid benefits STOP . 

A report from the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival showed that counties — both urban and rural, black and white, red and blue — will be decimated by these Medicaid cuts.

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Important Question:

Did you, your family, friends, or neighbors receive Medicaid health coverage in Maryland during the Federal Pandemic Emergency?

80,000 to 100,000 Marylanders may no longer be eligible for Medicaid Health Care Coverage.

Why could Marylanders lose this coverage? Their income is currently more than 138% of the Federal Poverty Level. This can happen when your income is greater now than when the pandemic emergency began in 2020.

UPDATE YOUR INCOME INFORMATION AND ADDRESS AT MEDICAID CHECK-IN.

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IMPORTANT!  PLEASE READ TO THE END!

Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) recipients will rarely be affected, unless their parents’ income drastically increased.

What actions can you take to verify and deal with potential loss of Maryland Medicaid Health Care Coverage?

• READ YOUR SNAIL MAIL about Medicaid Changes
• READ YOUR EMAIL about Medicaid Changes
• READ YOUR TEXTS about Medicaid Changes

AGAIN!

UPDATE YOUR INCOME INFORMATION AND ADDRESS AT MEDICAID CHECK-IN.

Contact local NAVIGATORS for assistance!
Click here for MD Health Connection's list of navigators.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

• If people remain income eligible for Medicaid (MA), they stay put. Nothing changes.
• If people are no longer eligible for MA:
  • They will have 45 days from the day they lost coverage to enroll in a private plan on Maryland Health Connection
    • Assumes they qualify for financial help to lower premiums
  • They will have 30 days from the day they lost coverage to enroll in their employer’s insurance plan
  • Qualifying household members (anyone on the tax return as a spouse, dependent or qualifying adult) also get a 45-day enrollment period for Maryland Health Connection (same 30 days for employer plan)
    
    
• The ineligible population will be divided into 12 monthly cohorts to minimize the number of people losing coverage at the same time.
  
  
• Most people who lose MA and are deemed eligible for a private plan through Maryland Health Connection will be automatically enrolled in a marketplace plan
• Consumers can change to a different plan, cancel the plan, or keep the plan
  • In order for the plan to activate, they must pay their first invoice
• Some consumers will be given plans with $0 premiums; they will need to actively accept the plan as there will not be an invoice sent.
• Can activate themselves using their own online account
• Get help by phone
• Get help from a Navigator or other assister

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(imagen y video en español)

MD PPC Op-Ed on Gov. Moore and Ending Poverty

The following embedded page from The Baltimore Sun is an Op-Ed by the MD PPC on holding Gov. Moore to ending poverty in Maryland.

Authoring credits to Abby Conrad & Tom Kennedy.

5 Policy Priorities for 2023

On Monday, November 14th, we held a virtual event — hearing from impacted individuals, community and legal experts, and MD PPC members, on how wealth inequality, insufficient supports for poor and low-wealth residents, and unjust laws and policies are preventing us from creating structural justice here in Maryland.

Our members who are part of the Policy Working Group have identified the following five issues that have real potential to be acted upon by the Maryland General Assembly in 2023:

1. Unjust cannabis laws and enforcement
2. Sky-rocketing rents and evictions, few affordable housing options
3. Burdens of medical debt
4. Lack of affordable childcare and expired Child Tax Credit
5. Injustices that harm immigrants in Maryland

We also shared the basics of our Resolution to End Poverty in Maryland and asked for support to get individuals, groups & organizations, and elected officials to sign on and commit to ending poverty in our state.

Lastly, we had break-out rooms where people brainstormed ideas on actions the MD PPC can take over the next six months — starting with our plan to be present when the General Assembly convenes on January 11th.

Priority #1 — Injustices of Cannabis Laws and Law Enforcement

Statewide ballot measure #4 passed, and therefore the Cannabis Reform Act passed by the General Assembly will be implemented. This bill has a complex timeline, but it's just a start. We must organize to demand the General Assembly fund restitution for the generations of families and hundreds of Maryland communities harmed by these prejudiced laws and policies.

Priority #2 —Sky-rocketing rents and evictions, few affordable housing options

Low-income and low-wealth people are often one missing paycheck away from debt, eviction, and/or homelessness. Maryland has failed to provide affordable housing for many residents. Public housing options are largely unavailable. We must demand rent control, increased rights for tenants, and more public and private affordable housing options.

Priority #3—The spiraling burdens of medical and other debt

Lack of health insurance or insufficient health insurance coverage creates medical debt, which often cascades into credit card debt, predatory loans like "payday" loans, and damage to personal credit ratings with possible bankruptcy. The 17% of Marylanders in medical debt are mostly: women, single parents, low-income individuals, and/or essential workers. Those burdened with outstanding medical expenses need debt counseling — we need to support legislation that funds this counseling.

Priority #4—Lack of affordable childcare & the expired Child Tax Credit

The expanded Federal Child Tax Credit in 2021 cut childhood poverty in half nationwide— from 10% to 5%. In Maryland that meant that 50,000 children were lifted out of poverty. Although the Child Tax Credit (CTC) worked, the US Congress failed to extend it, and Maryland didn't pass a state version. Without CTC, these same families face hardships—including paying for childcare, the costs of which are prohibitively high for many families, and we must demand supports that lift the financial burdens of parents.

Priority #5—Injustices that harm immigrants in Maryland

Undocumented people in our state are treated as if they are less than human: by landlords, by employers, and even by state agencies at times. For example, currently an undocumented person has no right to representation in immigration proceedings, even if they don't fully understand the process and have fled the threat of harm or death in their country of origin. As policies and legislation related to immigration reform are proposed in the 2023 Maryland General Assembly, we will support those which offer protections for undocumented people and a fair and reasonable path to citizenship.