DHS details Medicaid redetermination steps: outreach, staffing and early results

Department of Human Services officials told the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee they have mounted an unprecedented effort to redetermine Medicaid eligibility after the end of the federal continuous-enrollment condition and outlined outreach, operational and staffing strategies.

DHS Secretary Christy Putnam and Medicaid leadership said the end of the federal condition—triggered by the Consolidated Appropriations Act in December 2022—activated state redetermination obligations; state Act 780 of 2021 requires DHS to complete certain redeterminations within six months. DHS said it kept working renewals during the pandemic and prepared for the ‘unwinding’ with new outreach tools.

Officials reported they attempted to update addresses for the extended population and confirmed approximately 170,000 beneficiary addresses using outbound calls, managed-care plan data and the national change-of-address database. DHS communications chief Gavin Lesnick said paid advertising totaled nearly $160,000 (including earlier outreach phases) and that DHS also relied on partners, community-based organizations and providers to reach beneficiaries.

DHS described operational steps: prepopulated renewal packets for MAGI categories sent about 90 days before renewal, earlier (120-day) starts for long-term services, email and text reminders, citizen portal alerts, and weekly provider lists identifying at-risk beneficiaries for targeted outreach. Casework is handled by roughly 800 caseworkers and over 300 clerical staff in county offices, supplemented by contracted surge teams (around 180–200 staff reported for one contractor). DHS said it is rolling out universal calling to route calls across regions and hiring to fill vacancies.

On outcomes, DHS reported that in April–May renewals and coverage ended for approximately 40,000-plus beneficiaries (both extended and regular categories). Officials acknowledged CMS concerns about procedural termination rates, noted factors such as low unemployment and changing payer mixes, and emphasized DHS is taking additional steps (phone, text, email) to prevent erroneous disenrollments. DHS also reminded the committee that retroactive eligibility can be 30–90 days, which allows rapid reinstatement for qualifying claims.

Committee members asked for additional financial analysis and for DHS to return with budget impact estimates; DHS said those analyses are in progress and they will provide further numbers when available.