Because of the continuous coverage requirement, states were able to use additional money from the federal government during the federal public health emergency (PHE) for health care programs like Medicaid if they kept people covered. Therefore, Pennsylvanians did not lose their Medicaid/Medical Assistance (MA) or CHIP coverage if their income changed or they did not complete a renewal during the PHE.

However, starting April 1, 2023, Pennsylvania and other states will have to start disenrolling people if households are ineligible for MA at the time of their renewal or do not complete their renewal. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) will have to return to normal renewal processing procedures for Pennsylvanians enrolled in MA and the CHIP. Renewals will be completed over 12 months. Everyone with MA or CHIP coverage will need to submit a renewal to see if they are still eligible.

In Pennsylvania, approximately 3.5 million people rely on Medicaid. Last year, it was estimated that about 500,000 of those would lose coverage when the continuous coverage requirement ended, creating access issues for individuals and exacerbating financial challenges for providers.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has created an online resource, including a stakeholder toolkit as well as a guide on how to become a helper, that provides resources for groups like providers to communicate ways for Pennsylvanians who receive MA or CHIP coverage to continue their coverage.