Building healthier communities requires deliberate action every day to improve individuals’ lives. Every time a person goes to a doctor for a check-up or gets important immunizations, health outcomes improve, and communities grow stronger. Ensuring people have access to quality, affordable health coverage is one of the most important ways to help accomplish this goal.

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment in Medicaid and Child Health Plus increased 23.4% to about 9 million people in New York State, according to the State Department of Health.

 

Those 9 million people will need to act soon to keep their health coverage. In December 2022, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which ends the “continuous enrollment condition” for the Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan, and Managed Long Term Care programs.

 

This means most New York State residents who have coverage through these plans will need to update their eligibility information as part of the renewal process over the next 12 months, depending on their coverage end dates.

 

At Fidelis Care, we serve more than 2 million members across the State who will be affected by this change. We believe every individual deserves access to quality, affordable health coverage. It’s important that affected individuals are aware of these changes and complete all necessary requirements. We encourage them to:

 

• update their contact information with the agency that they enrolled with (such as NY State of Health or NYC’s Human Resources Administration) to get the latest updates;
• look for agency notices and follow next steps promptly; and
• contact their health insurance plan providers. Fidelis Care members can call 1-866-435-9521 or visit org/renew for help.

 

As a physician, my job is to protect my patients and support their health and wellbeing. I encourage affected individuals to take steps to keep health coverage. Their physical and mental health depend on it.

 

Dr. Vincent Marchello is chief medical officer at Fidelis Care, a New York State health plan.