Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Posts related to California's Medi-Cal program, specifically MAGI based, income eligibility, enrollment, costs, children, Covered California.
The new law requires Covered California to automatically enroll individuals who have been terminated from Medi-Cal into the lowest cost Silver plan in the person’s region. The automatic enrollment is meant to prevent a gap from when an individual or family is terminated from Medi-Cal to when they enroll in a new health plan.
Individuals and families who enrolled in health insurance through Covered California for plan year 2021 were determined eligible for any federal or California premium assistance based on 2020 FPL numbers. Even if the new FPLs are higher than the estimated income, the enrollment and subsidies will continue. However, if you make change to your application during the year, the new FPLs will apply and could trigger Medi-Cal eligibility.
California policy states that Disaster and Emergency assistance payments received from federal, state, or local government agencies is exempt from both Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) and non-MAGI Medi-Cal programs. Consequently, county Welfare Directors have been directed to disregard the LWA when making income eligibility determinations. However, for Covered California, the LWA money is counted as taxable income for eligibility and calculation of the monthly Advance Premium Tax Credit subsidy (federal) and the California Premium subsidy.
Covered California doesn’t administer or enroll you into a MAGI Medi-Cal health plan. Through the Covered California income section where you enter you monthly income, the Covered California application system determines if you or your dependents are eligible for MAGI Medi-Cal. If your income indicates you are eligible for MAGI Medi-Cal in the Covered California system, that information is pushed over to the Department of Health Care Services and your county social services office.
Covered California screens for Medi-Cal eligibility based on your monthly income, not annual income. Therefore, it is imperative, that when you are reporting a change to your income that the monthly income be accurate relative to published 138% of federal poverty level for adults and 266% for children.
Covered California has released a document explaining how the Coronavirus aid payments count as income for individuals and families. What could be a real issue for many mixed households (adults in Covered California and children on MAGI Medi-Cal) is that some of the extra unemployment benefits will be counted differently for the purposes of household income between the two agencies.
To allow for counties to prioritize processing of access to care issues, and concentrate staffing resources where needed during this public health crisis, the county shall stop processing annual renewals immediately and may exceed the timeliness standard for all administrative processing of Medi-Cal or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) redeterminations. The delay shall be effective for 90 days from the date of this MEDIL.
There really is no mystery as to why the Covered California income chart doesn’t match the Medi-Cal federal poverty level income table. Covered California is working with two different programs. They must screen for MAGI Medi-Cal eligibility based on current monthly income and the latest federal poverty levels, and, they must also determine the Advance Premium Tax Credit subsidies following IRS guidelines that use the previous year’s federal poverty levels. And if you follow all of that, you are smarter than me!
If your income increases, many people incorrectly assume they are no longer eligible for MAGI Medi-Cal. That is not the case. Medi-Cal is based on your monthly income, not necessarily your annual income. Just because you had an unexpected bump in your hours for one month, does not mean you are no longer eligible. Just report the change to Medi-Cal and let them make the determination. The same applies if you receive a one-time lump sum income amount. These types of events are not necessary counted against you.
Why can’t people who earn too much money to qualify for either MAGI Medi-Cal or the subsidies through Covered California just be allowed to pay the monthly capitation rate for these plans? They are less expensive than private insurance and would offer some protection from the corona virus health care costs.
