(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — Today, the Arkansas Department of Human Services is reporting updated figures reflecting the fifth month of redeterminations conducted as part of its statutorily required six-month effort to unwind the Medicaid rolls, in accordance with President Biden’s ending of the Public Health Emergency (PHE). The continuous enrollment requirement during the PHE prevented DHS from removing most ineligible individuals from Medicaid, but normal eligibility rules resumed on April 1. DHS is now working to comply with these normal eligibility rules, which are set by Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The latest figures are included in the report at the bottom of this release. In August, more than 50,000 cases were renewed after eligibility was confirmed, and 72,519 beneficiaries were disenrolled because they are no longer eligible. As of September 1, total Medicaid enrollment was 877,544, including 388,558 children, 239,990 on ARHOME, and 248,996 other adults.
“We have now completed redeterminations for five of the six months of our unwinding effort, and so far our incredible eligibility workers have confirmed eligibility for more than a quarter of a million Arkansans,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam. “By discontinuing coverage for beneficiaries who no longer qualify for Medicaid, we are ensuring that these resources are available to eligible Arkansans who truly need them.”
Several states have been ordered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to pause their redeterminations or reinstate coverage for some beneficiaries because of issues with their eligibility system processes. Arkansas is not one of these states, and DHS anticipates continuing to fulfill its comprehensive unwinding plan over the sixth and final month.
The report below breaks down the top five reasons for closure and the top five categories of assistance for the August disenrollments. The 34,961 closures for beneficiaries whose coverage had previously been extended due to the PHE special eligibility rules are the fewest monthly closures during the unwinding to date.
The top reasons for closures include disenrollments based on beneficiaries failing to send back required eligibility information. It is likely that many beneficiaries did not return their renewal packet because they were aware that they are no longer eligible because of a change in circumstances. A closure due to failure to send in information does not mean that the packet was not received or that the beneficiary was unaware of the requirements for this process.
If beneficiaries believe their case was closed in error, they can visit ar.gov/cover for information about requesting to have their coverage reinstated if they are still eligible, reapplying, or appealing the determination.
Beneficiaries who need assistance can call 855-372-1084 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. They can also submit questions through the Access Anywhere form at ar.gov/accessanywhere, or visit ar.gov/renew for additional information.
