New Mexico preserves Medicaid coverage for thousands of children

(The Center Square) - New Mexico will reinstate Medicaid coverage for about 21,000 children this month.

The New Mexico Health Care Authority announced that it will give these children's families a second chance to renew their healthcare coverage, according to a press release from the department.

“Keeping children covered was one of our biggest priorities as the Public Health Emergency ended,” Kari Armijo, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Health Care Authority, said in a statement. “Being able to reinstate thousands of children who lost coverage means increased access to vaccinations, checkups, well child visits, and behavioral health services that otherwise they may have gone without.”

About 3,700 children in this group are ages six and under. They will all now have continuous Medicaid enrollment until they turn six due to the change to the program that took effect in January 2024.

“As the pandemic and three years of continuous Medicaid enrollment came to an end, we knew children were a group more at risk of losing coverage due to lack of response than due to financial ineligibility,” Dana Flannery, Medicaid director, said. “We were pleased to be able to make a program change earlier this year to keep kids up to age six continuously enrolled and to now be able to reinstate all children ages 0-19 who were disenrolled for not responding to requests for information to verify eligibility.”

Children in the six to 19 age range will be reinstated for at least one calendar year unless they turn 19 years old before reinstatement.

Every member will get a written notification of their reinstatement, plus a second notification regarding their option to pick a different plan than the one assigned.

"When Medicaid renewals are due, the HCA will text and/or email members who’ve given contact information," the release said.

The change will take effect at the start of August 2024. It will reinstate coverage for New Mexican children back to May 1, 2023.

Members can see their enrollment status by visiting the Yes NM Portal.