Maryland has begun an unprecedented effort to renew Medicaid coverage for nearly 1.8 million adults and children for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

States were required to provide uninterrupted coverage for those enrolled in Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income people, throughout the pandemic in exchange for increased federal funding. But the public health emergency is set to end on May 11.

Maryland officials have said renewal notices will be mailed to beneficiaries over the course of the next year in the same month that their coverage began, regardless of its duration. People must then turn in requested documents within 45 days after they receive notice.

The first notices were sent in April, and coverage losses will start as early as June. Marylanders whose income now exceeds eligibility thresholds — set at 138% of the federal poverty level, or $41,400 for a family of four — will be referred to apply for health coverage on the state exchange, where they may still receive income-based subsidies to help with costs, said Ryan Moran, deputy secretary of health care financing and Medicaid director at Maryland Department of Health.

He said there’s no estimate of the number of people who stand to lose coverage because of the many variables that determine Medicaid eligibility.

The story continues at The Baltimore Banner: 1.8 million Marylanders need to renew their Medicaid coverage. Many could lose it.

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