Letter warns 12K Utahns of end to Medicaid benefits


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SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of Utahns received a notification this week that their Medicaid benefits were coming to an end immediately. But state officials said late Wednesday those people will have coverage after all.

Utah Department of Workforce Services spokesman Nic Dunn confirmed about 12,000 recipients of the 12-month transitional Medicaid benefit received the letter because Congress did not approve funding beyond March before going into recess late last week.

“If Congress reauthorizes the funding for the program after you receive this notice, your transitional Medicaid benefits may be reopened,” the letter stated.

Jon Felt received the letter in his email Tuesday and couldn’t believe it.

“Just out of the blue — ‘your coverage is ending,’” Felt said. “It says right there — ‘your Medicaid benefits will end March 31.’”

The letter was dated March 31.

“Not ‘your coverage might end,’ not ‘your coverage is in limbo,’ but ‘yeah, it’s ending,” Felt said. “You’re out of luck is basically what it said.”

Felt said his wife is expecting a baby girl in May.

“We don’t have enough money just to take care of our own needs, not to mention the thousands in medical bills just for the pregnancy,” Felt said. “To get that letter the same day that said everything is canceled with no warning, it’s just unbelievable stress.”

Dunn said the state was instructed later Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reopen the cases, under the assumption Congress would act when it returns on April 13.

That process, Dunn said, was expected to take about a week because the cases have to be reopened manually.

Officials said despite the time to reopen the cases, people with the transitional benefit should continue to seek medical care as normal, and claims for services that are covered will be paid.

Dunn said the state began working to notify recipients soon after it learned last Friday that Congress had not yet reauthorized funding for the program.

“The lack of a decision for the funding for the program happened so late, we didn’t have any time,” Dunn said. “Historically, Congress has funded the program, usually toward the tail end of the session before they go on recess, so this is a new thing for us to deal with.”

Felt said the uncertainty was the “worst part.”

“It’s great news that we won’t lose our coverage,” Felt said. “I mean, that’s what was scaring us the most.”

Still, Felt said he believed more could have been done to provide an earlier warning so people could have additional time to seek out potential alternatives.

“To get it on the same day with absolutely no notice is inexcusable,” Felt said. “It’s bad business.”

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