Starting April 1, members of the public receiving Medicaid Continuous Coverage will need to renew their coverage, and some will no longer qualify for coverage.

According to Acting Secretary Kari Armijo, the New Mexico Human Services Department will gradually remove coverage for those who do not qualify or renew over the next year.

“These important federal changes will affect the 978,207 New Mexicans who receive health insurance through the state’s Medicaid program. Our goal is to make sure every Medicaid customer in New Mexico knows what they need to do to renew their Medicaid or transition to other coverage if they no longer qualify,” she said.

Armijo says people will receive their renewal application in a turquoise envelope mailed by the department. Then, they should submit their application to the Human Resources Department.

During the COVID pandemic, automatic Medicaid renewals were required by the federal government. Now, it has become unnecessary.

The customers whose renewals are due in April, which will cover the month of May, were sent their applications in March.

Statewide Medicaid enrollment will decrease by 9.6%, according to Armijo. Sandoval County is estimated to decrease by 13%, which is more than any other county.

Between April and July, the department will be initiating renewables for about 110,000 New Mexicans, or around 36,000 each month.

“In early 2024, we will be concentrating on renewals for our most vulnerable populations. Those would be people with disabilities and those who need long-term services and supports,” Armijo said.

The main concern for those coming off Medicaid is them not having health care at all.

For those who will be losing Medicaid health care, however, there are still some options available. The insurance agency, BeWellNM, will send out voicemails, texts, emails and postcards to customers coming off Medicaid.

Alex Sanchez, communications director for BeWellNM, says they are happy to help.

“You know, medical debt can be really crippling financially,” Sanchez said.

For more information on the medicaid changes visit https://www.hsd.state.nm.us/.