978,207 New Mexicans covered by Medicaid will have to renew coverage when their applications are due 

SANTA FE – Today, The New Mexico Human Services Department provided a briefing about the Medicaid continuous coverage, a federal requirement ending April 1, 2023. 

As the federal government ends the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement established during the COVID-19 pandemic, the end of this flexibility means all 978,207 New Mexicans covered by Medicaid will have to renew their coverage when their renewal applications are due. HSD customers will receive their renewal application in a turquoise envelope by mail when it is time for them to renew.  

To reach all Medicaid customers across the state, HSD is conducting a massive statewide public awareness and multimedia, multilingual campaign called “Renew NM: It’s time to Renew NM,” which will run for the next 12 months (the time granted by the federal government to process all Medicaid renewals). HSD began sending renewal packets in a turquoise envelope to those customers whose renewal applications are due in April. 

“It is essential that Medicaid customers provide their most up-to-date contact information to HSD and look for the turquoise envelope from our department regarding the renewal application and respond accordingly,” said Kari Armijo, acting cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Human Services Department.  “We are making every effort to ensure HSD customers renew their benefits to continue receiving Medicaid coverage, if they are eligible, or help them stay connected to healthcare coverage if they no longer qualify for Medicaid.” 

“We encourage all New Mexicans who will be losing their Medicaid coverage to contact us to see if they qualify for low-cost or no-cost health insurance because being insured can save them thousands of dollars in the event of an emergency or serious diagnosis,” said Bruce Gilbert, CEO for beWellnm. “In fact, beWellnm is so committed to improving the health of New Mexicans, individuals who are no longer eligible for Medicaid may qualify to have their first month’s premium paid by us. That means they would owe nothing for the first month — residents should act quickly though to ensure there is not a gap in their coverage.” 

HSD is working closely with beWellnm, Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), community organizations, and other state, tribal and local government agencies to provide the tools and information for HSD customers to know how and when to renew their benefits. The department encourages community organizations to become a Renew NM partner and help reach out to New Mexicans on Medicaid and SNAP by distributing posters in their local communities.  

The Renew NM partner toolkit can be found here. 

To learn more visit https://renew.hsd.nm.gov  or call HSD Customer Service at 1-800-283-4465 Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.   

Please find attached a copy of today’s presentation and beWellnm press release.

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We talk, interpret and smile in all languages.  We provide written information to our customers in both English and Spanish and interpretation services are available in 58 languages through our provider, CTS Language Link. For our hearing, and speech impaired customers, we utilize Relay New Mexico, a free 24-hour service that ensures equal communication access via the telephone to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled. 

The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to 1,078,858 New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program, and several Behavioral Health Services.