Enrollment pause extended for Medicaid-like coverage program

A state committee signed off Tuesday on extending an emergency rule that paused enrollment for a program that provides Medicaid-like coverage to undocumented individuals.

The rule, originally filed last summer by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, paused enrollment for adults ages 42 through 64.

Dana Kelly, the department’s chief of staff, told members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules that they continue to monitor the program.

“(We are) feeling like we have a better handle over it,” she said.

Enrollment for a similar program that provides coverage for those 65 and older paused last fall.

Kelly noted the programs are in “fluctuation” after the agency wrapped up its eligibility verification. The process was supposed to finish in June, but Kelly told lawmakers it took two months longer to ensure individuals received the necessary information to stay on the rolls.

“We’re really… in the wake of having a lot more data about what the program size will look like,” she said.

Officials previously estimated the redetermination process would save the state $13.1 million.

The emergency rule expires next June. Though she did not provide a timeline, Kelly said they would work to file permanent language so there is no “gap in the rule.”