Families Can Lose Health Coverage if They Don’t Reenroll in Medicaid

Westchester Disabled on the Move Working to Register Families, Seniors and the Disabled

Jackie Forbes Clarke, left, at a recent event assisting residents with Medicaid reenrollment.

Many people who rely on Medicaid could lose their coverage if they fail to reenroll. At the end of May, COVID protections for those on Medicaid ended so they are now required to re-enroll in the program, but many people don’t know this and are losing coverage.

More than 1 million people have been dropped from Medicaid in the past couple months as some states moved swiftly to halt health care coverage following the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Most got dropped for not filling out paperwork.

Westchester Disabled on the Move Inc. is now reenrolling people with disabilities, seniors and low-income residents in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange, free of charge.

WDOMI Enrollment Manager Jackie Forbes Clark said that families who depend on Medicaid and Child Health Plus may need to re-register for their health insurance. She said that WDOMI can help with all the forms.

“Even if you don’t get a reenrollment packet in the mail, you might still need to re-register,’’ she said. “Avoid the red tape and hassle of having to reapply if you get dropped from coverage.’’

Darla Lao Paula, Lead Medicaid Facilitated Enroller, said that one senior citizen who she worked with had recently moved and did not receive her re-enrollment packet in the mail.

“Because she was an existing client, they notified us and we were able to help her re-enroll,’’ said Lao Paula. “She was so grateful and said that she might have lost her health insurance if we hadn’t let her know.’’

For more information on how to get assistance with reenrollment call 914-968-4717 X109 OR VISIT https://wdom.org/. Help is available in English and Spanish.