NY State of Health Offers Health Insurance Enrollment and Renewal at Food Pantries This Holiday Season

via NY State of Health:

• Enrollees in Public Health Insurance Programs Must Take Steps to Renew their Coverage for 2024

• New Yorkers Shopping for Qualified Health Plans Can Enroll by December 15 for
  Coverage Starting January 1

  ALBANY, N.Y. (December 8, 2023) – NY State of Health, the state's official health plan Marketplace, is working together with food pantries to help New Yorkers fight food insecurity and help them access high-quality, low-cost health insurance for the seventh consecutive holiday season. NY State of Health’s annual open enrollment period for Qualified Health Plans started November 16 and consumers who enroll by December 15 will have health coverage starting January 1, 2024.

  “It’s so important that all New Yorkers renew or enroll in insurance plans and make sure that they and their families are covered,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “I thank our NY State of Health team and all partnering food pantries for ensuring that New Yorkers have information about and access to quality and affordable insurance.”

  “Since the end of the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency, more than one in three New Yorkers are covered through the Marketplace,” NY State of Health Executive Director Danielle Holahan said. “With our annual open enrollment underway and public health program renewals continuing through May, we are here to support those who depend on us for affordable health insurance. Our partnership with food pantries is a perfect time to reach consumers in their community and offer in-person assistance to help them enroll or renew.”

  Certified enrollment specialists will be available at food pantries across the state in December to provide consumers with enrollment and renewal assistance. In addition to onsite support, the Marketplace will include educational materials in different languages in thousands of charitable holiday dinner baskets distributed to food pantry recipients.

  NY State of Health food pantry events can be found here.

  Renewals for Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and the Essential Plan will continue to be processed monthly as they have been from June 2023 through May 2024. Enrollees in these public health insurance programs are now required to take to renew their health insurance. The State is monitoring these renewal activities with a monthly Public Health Emergency Unwind Dashboard, which tracks renewal status, demographics, and state program transitions.

  Enrollment is open for Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and the Essential Plan for the entire year. The Marketplace will remain open for Qualified Health Plans during the Public Health Emergency Unwind renewal process, so consumers can enroll in a Qualified Health Plan or the Essential Plan if they become ineligible for Medicaid. Enhanced tax credits will remain in place through 2025 for eligible New Yorkers.

  Consumers can now preview 2024 Plan Options. All health plans offered through NY State of Health cover preventive care, such as routine doctor visits and screenings, at no additional cost.

  Medicaid members can also learn how to renew coverage through an English webinar and a Spanish Facebook Town Hall webinar.

  Consumers are encouraged to keep their account information up to date and sign up for text alerts to receive important health insurance updates, including when it’s time to renew coverage. To subscribe, text start to 1-866-988-0327.

  Consumers can apply for coverage through nystateofhealth.ny.gov, by phone at 1-855-355-5777, and by getting free help from an enrollment assistant in their community and in their language.

  Consumer resources regarding the renewal process can be found here.