SANTA FE — This month, New Mexico will reinstate Medicaid coverage for approximately 21,000 children, giving their families a second chance to renew their health care coverage, the New Mexico Health Care Authority announced today. 

“Keeping children covered was one of our biggest priorities as the Public Health Emergency ended,” said Kari Armijo, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Health Care Authority. “Being able to reinstate thousands of children who lost coverage means increased access to vaccinations, checkups, well child visits, and behavioral health services that otherwise they may have gone without.” 

Approximately 3,700 children in this group are between the ages 0-six and will now have continuous Medicaid enrollment up to the month they turn age six, thanks to a change to the program that went into effect in January 2024. 

“As the pandemic and three years of continuous Medicaid enrollment came to an end, we knew children were a group more at risk of losing coverage due to lack of response than due to financial ineligibility,” said Dana Flannery, Medicaid director. “We were pleased to be able to make a program change earlier this year to keep kids up to age six continuously enrolled, and to now be able to reinstate all children ages 0-19 who were disenrolled for not responding to requests for information to verify eligibility.” 

Children ages six to 19 will be reinstated for a minimum of 12 months unless they already turned age 19 upon reinstatement. All members will receive written notification of their reinstatement, and a second notice of their option to select a different health plan from the one they are assigned. When Medicaid renewals are due, the HCA will text and/or email members who’ve given contact information. 

The change will go into effect at the end of July 2024 to reinstate coverage back to May 1, 2023. Members can check their enrollment status in their account by logging in to the Yes NM Portal. 

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