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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: August 9, 2023 Contact: Laura Swinford, laura@gpsimpact.com
KANSAS CITY – Health Forward Foundation has launched a public information campaign to urge Missourians who are eligible for Medicaid to renew their existing coverage or enroll for the first time. The campaign is aimed at the more than 280,000 Missouri residents in the Kansas City, Missouri region who must renew their Medicaid coverage due to the end of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declarations, as well as those who are eligible for Medicaid but have never applied.
“People–including tens of thousands of children–must update their contact information and renew with the Missouri Department of Social Services to maintain their Medicaid coverage or face losing it,” said McClain Bryant Macklin, vice president of policy and impact for Health Forward Foundation. “We’re working with incredible public health and community organizations to reach as many people as we can to make sure they are aware and take action to keep their healthcare coverage.”
All Missourians receiving Medicaid must renew to maintain their healthcare coverage due to the end of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declarations, which temporarily suspended the annual renewal requirement. Missouri’s Department of Social Services (DSS) estimates more than 200,000 Missourians will likely lose their Medicaid coverage due to application errors, missed deadlines, or shifting eligibility. Health Forward Foundation’s campaign comes as DSS announced in late July that 32,000 Missourians–half of whom are children– lost their Medicaid coverage during the first round of eligibility verification in June.
Eighteen nonprofit organizations and healthcare providers are participating in the campaign which features an informational website, interactive advertising on buses, informational videos and social media content, digital and print advertising, and door hangers and flyers–all bilingual in Spanish and English.
“There are many organizations throughout the Kansas City, Missouri region that can help people renew their Medicaid coverage and even enroll for the first time,” said Jim Torres, program manager for Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center. “No matter what neighborhood people live in or what language they speak, we’re here to help people get the health coverage they need and deserve–but it’s very important for people to act now before they risk losing their eligibility.”
Swope Health, Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, KC Care Health Center, University Health, Care Beyond the Boulevard, and HCC Network in Lafayette County have trained staff that can help people renew their Medicaid coverage or enroll for the first time. Missouri residents can call or walk in to make an appointment for free. Contact information for organizations providing help with Medicaid enrollment is available online at www.healthforward.org/keepyourcoverage.
Campaign partners include the following organizations who work closely with community residents who may be eligible for Medicaid to raise awareness of changes to renewal requirements:
Bishop Sullivan Center
BlaqOut
Della Lamb Community Services
The Don Bosco Centers
Full Employment Council
LINC
Literacy KC
Mattie Rhodes Center
Missouri Jobs With Justice
Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund
More2
Morning Star Baptist Church and Community Center
Northland Healthcare Access
Redemptorist Center
Urban League of Greater Kansas City
Missourians can contact DSS directly at (855) 373-4636 or www.mydss.mo.gov/renew
Social media graphics and advertising images can be found here
