With the Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, nearly 600,000 people will obtain free medical coverage. Of that figure, around half, that is, 300,000 people, will obtain the new coverage automatically as of December 1, 2023 without the need to carry out any procedure. The other half must comply with a Registration process.
As reported by the North Carolina Department of Health (NCDHHS), those who will automatically obtain coverage are those people who currently have Family Planning benefits.
The Medicaid Family Planning Program provides free reproductive health care to low income people. Starting December 1, beneficiaries will begin to obtain full Medicaid coverage, as long as they meet the family income requirement of less than 138% of the federal poverty level.
NCDHHS reported that it has already begun contacting eligible individuals via text messages, phone calls and emails. The purpose of this first contact is for them to be attentive to receiving a letter from the Department of Social Services in their locality.
The letter from DSS will inform them that they will receive full Medicaid benefits. They will also be assigned a health plan and will receive an envelope from their new plan in the mail. The envelope will also include a new Medicaid ID card.
Who will not receive automatic Medicaid coverage and therefore must enroll?
Beyond those who have Family Planning benefits, the rest of the people who will become Medicaid must complete the registration process.
These are mainly people between the ages of 19 and 64 without children who until now were not eligible for Medicaid and who, thanks to the expansion, will become so.
To register you have four alternatives:
- Online through ePASS
- In person, in your Department of Social Services
- By phone, by calling your Department of Social Services office
- Through a paper application (downloadable in Spanish at the following link)
In any of the registration modalities you must have certain documents. Among other things, to prove your income, that you live in North Carolina or that you have a eligible immigration status.
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