Medicaid Unwind RHC Taskforce

We invite YOUR RHC to participate in our Medicaid Unwind RHC Project!

On May 1st, Louisiana Medicaid resumed eligibility reviews for Medicaid recipients to determine if they are eligible to continue receiving Medicaid benefits. Recipients who do not respond to Medicaid’s eligibility review requests will have their coverage terminated. Eligibility rules were changed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included stopping closures for most Medicaid members.

UPCOMING EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Elizabeth Family Clinic Community Day Blood Drive & Medicaid Application Assistance

June 2, 2023 from 9:00AM-3:00PM

Location: 4855 Hwy 10 West , Elizabeth, LA, United States, Louisiana

  • Overview

    The Louisiana Rural Health Collective (LaRHC) has been contracted by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) to assist in the Medicaid Unwind project to retain Medicaid coverage for eligible individuals in rural Louisiana through forming the Medicaid Unwind-RHC Taskforce. As a newly formed statewide association for Rural Health Clinics (RHC), part of LaRHC’s overall mission is to preserve and expand the RHC program in our State and ensure a sustainable future for all existing and future RHCs.

  • Objective

    LaRHC’s goal for this project is to retain Medicaid coverage for rural populations in Louisiana by providing funding, outreach materials, equipment, and support to each RHC in the state to target their Medicaid patient populations and provide outreach and assistance to patients with updating their contact information and submitting renewal applications to Medicaid, as well as create a long term solution for obtaining and retaining coverage for eligible individuals by certifying RHCs as Medicaid Application Centers.

  • Opportunity

    Here’s what we’re offering:

    ✔️ $15,000 funding for each Rural Health Clinic (RHC).

    ✔️ Upfront payment of $3,000 upon joining, followed by $1,000 monthly payments.

    ✔️ Free outreach materials, equipment, and support – no deductions from your fund.

    ✔️ Opportunity to become a certified Medicaid Application Center through LaRHC's fast-track certification process.

  • There are 224 RHCs spread across Louisiana’s most vulnerable rural communities, and a sample collected from 10 RHCs estimates an average of 1,800 active Medicaid patients served at each facility.

  • RHCs treat over 50% of Louisiana's total Medicaid population, or about 403,000 unique patients of the current 764,285 individuals enrolled in Medicaid, making RHCs crucial to the success of this project. 

FAQs

How will the loss of Medicaid coverage among rural patient populations impact RHCs?

The loss of Medicaid coverage among rural patient populations will have a direct impact on RHCs and on the overall wellbeing of the communities they serve. RHCs will experience a significant loss in revenue if Medicaid patients lose coverage. Rather than receiving Medicaid’s all-inclusive RHC rates, RHCs must default to their sliding-fee-schedule for reimbursement, which is significantly less than RHC Medicaid rates. Furthermore, patient visits will decrease tremendously as these patients will now have to pay out-of-pocket costs for their visits. Patients will likely avoid treatment and care all together due to this change. Population health in these rural areas will decline drastically, and it will take several years to rectify these setbacks moving forward.

These changes will be detrimental to the sustainability of many RHCs in our State, as well as to the wellbeing of the communities they serve, which already suffer extreme socioeconomic challenges and health disparities. In an effort to combat these challenges that RHCs will soon face, LaRHC has contracted with LDH to assist with outreach in regard to the Medicaid Unwind project. RHCs provide care for a large portion of Medicaid recipients in Louisiana, so we have developed a plan and secured funding/resources for each RHC to ensure that their Medicaid populations are not substantially impacted by Medicaid’s eligibility redetermination.

What is LaRHC offering?

LaRHC has allocated $15,000 for each RHC in the state to offset administrative costs associated with this project and will also provide all outreach materials needed to support each clinic’s endeavors. LaRHC will also provide iPads to all RHCs that assist patients with updating their contact information and submitting renewal applications through Medicaid’s Self Service Portal. Payments will be provided in an upfront payment of $3,000 to each RHC when onboarded, and subsequent monthly payments of $1,000 thereafter. Equipment, support, and supplies are provided in addition to the allocated funds and will not be deducted from the RHCs’ $15,000.

In addition to the allocated $15,000, productivity bonuses will be awarded to RHCs that make progress toward retaining coverage for eligible individuals and for their contributions in providing outreach to their communities. These bonus payments will be provided at the end of Medicaid’s eligibility redetermination process, and the amounts will be determined based on measurable data that reflects each RHCs progress pertaining to their unique Medicaid patient population and on the amount of remaining funds at the end of the project. RHCs that commit to the Taskforce will be provided with outreach materials to post and disperse within their facilities. Pamphlets that detail step-by-step instructions for creating an online account and using the Self-Service Portal to renew coverage will also be provided to the RHCs for individuals capable of updating their information independently. iPads will be provided to RHCs for patient-use to update contact information and renew their coverage with the assistance from the RHCs’ staff. LaRHC will provide training to the RHCs’ staff in order to facilitate this process and assist patients with creating their online accounts, updating their contact information, and submitting renewal applications through Medicaid’s Public Self Service Portal.

LaRHC will also provide personalized outreach materials with each RHC’s address and contact information to distribute and post in local businesses, schools, and public facilities that direct Medicaid recipients to the RHC for assistance with submitting contact information updates and renewal applications to Medicaid. Committed RHCs will have the option to be certified as Medicaid Application Centers through a fasttrack certification process that we have established with LDH’s Application Center Program Manager, and we will provide any equipment needed to meet program requirements.

LaRHC’s team will facilitate this certification process and provide all training and resources needed to fulfill the obligations of the Medicaid Application Center and its Trusted Users. RHCs will be required to report their progress throughout the duration of the project through their Taskforce Hub, an online portal created for each RHC in the Taskforce. The Taskforce Hub was specifically designed and created for this project, and will be the primary means of collaboration, progress reporting, and training. It will also have quick-links and resources for Trusted Users to navigate and fulfill their responsibilities as an Application Center, and allow each RHC to request additional outreach materials, support, and training as needed.

We encourage all RHCs to participate in the Medicaid Unwind-RHC Taskforce, as all RHCs will be affected by the loss of Medicaid coverage amongst their patients. The funds allocated to this project are for the sole purpose of providing Louisiana’s RHCs with the support necessary to retain coverage for their patient populations, so please take advantage of these resources by joining LaRHC’s Medicaid Unwind- RHC Taskforce

Key Messages for Medicaid Members:

We want everyone who is eligible for Medicaid to maintain their coverage.

  • If you have not received a Medicaid Eligibility Review pink letter from Medicaid or the Louisiana Department of Health by April 1, please contact Medicaid right away. It means we do not have your current contact information on file.

  • Share all contact information including: your mailing address, phone number, cell phone number and email address, so you receive important information about your health insurance coverage.

    If you do not provide the information requested you could lose your health insurance coverage even if you are still eligible.  

    • Members can visit Healthy.la.gov to learn how to update their contact information. Ways to make changes to their contact information include:

    • Logging on to MyMedicaid.la.gov

    • Emailing MyMedicaid@la.gov

    • Calling their health plan on the number on their ID card

    • Calling Medicaid’s Customer Service Center at 1-888-342-6207. Assistance is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

    • In-person help is available at all regional Medicaid offices. For the nearest office, visit www.ldh.la.gov/medicaidoffices