Medicaid Renewal Data: 2023 Summary

Wisconsin’s goal is for people to have health insurance coverage – whether through a state program if they’re eligible, through their employment, or through a plan on the HealthCare.gov marketplace.

• Unwinding began in June 2023.
• The average monthly enrollment across all programs in Wisconsin in the year prior to March 2020 was 1.2 million members.
• Peak enrollment following the end of the continuous coverage policy was in May 2023 when 1.68 million Wisconsinites were a member of one or more state health care programs. As of November 2023, enrollment stands at 1.47 million. Just over 12% of those who were members of the program in May have seen their coverage end.¹
• All members are assigned a month when they should renew. If they miss that month, they have a 90-day period to do a late renewal online and avoid a gap in coverage if they’re eligible.
• More than 60% of members scheduled to renew have determinations completed by their renewal month, based on the report submitted to CMS. (June: 60%; July: 60%; August: 61%; September: 67%)
• Three months (June, July, and August) have finished the late renewal period.
  • By the time each month’s late renewal period closed, the percentage of people with completed renewals increased roughly 10% to finish in the low 70th percentile. (June: 72%; July: 70%; August: 73%)
  • The first month of each late renewal period often shows the most significant increases in eligible members retaining their coverage. For August, figures for coverage retained increased from 45% reported in September to 56% in October – a change affecting more than 11,000 people.
• Wisconsin continues to work with state and local community and provider organizations and health plans to remind people that renewals continue into 2024. Members should watch for their renewal packets in the mail about two weeks before their scheduled month and do their renewal promptly. Members can log into their account and do their renewal online using ACCESS.

Keeping kids covered

• In the twelve months prior to the start of the COVID-19 continuous coverage policy, the monthly average enrollment for children in BadgerCare Plus was approximately 447,000.
• In April 2023, before Unwinding began:
  • Almost 608,000 children were covered under BadgerCare Plus.
  • In the Medicaid Renewals dashboard, child members are primarily reflected in two categories: Children and Income Extensions.
  • Regardless of what category children are in, they have the same benefits and coverage for their health care.
• As of November 2023:
  • The total enrollment for children in BadgerCare Plus stands at almost 540,000.
  • Coverage has ended for approximately 12% of children who were enrolled when the Unwinding began. This figure is consistent with decrease in overall enrollment thus far in the Unwinding period.
• Wisconsin made several changes to our administrative renewals in 2023 both to comply with late-breaking federal guidance and to make our system more efficient. This included shifting from assessing information at the household level to looking at individual eligibility during this process.
  • Changes to administrative renewals that evaluate eligibility at the individual level benefit kids especially, as they can qualify for coverage even when their parents don’t.
  • Wisconsin used its new process for the first time for members scheduled to renew in December. The state saw the administrative renewal rate climb from a low of 8% in the early months of the Unwinding to 27.5% with the recent changes.
• Children can receive coverage even when adults are no longer eligible. Parents should complete a renewal even if their income has increased since they originally enrolled.
• Children who turned 19 since March 2020 are now young adults and need to make sure they have their own health care coverage. They can apply for BadgerCare Plus on ACCESS.
• The renewal process for Katie Beckett Medicaid, a program for children under 19 years old with long-term disabilities or complex medical needs, is different than for children enrolled in BadgerCare Plus and cannot be completed online. Families enrolled in Katie Beckett that have questions can contact a benefit specialist at DHSKatieBeckett@dhs.wisconsin.gov or call 888-786-3246.
• Effective January 2024, children will retain their coverage for 12 months from their enrollment or their last renewal, even if their household income changes. This change was made under the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed by Congress in December 2022.