Medicaid Expansion Beneficiaries Signing Up Fast

According to the Virginia Dept. of Medical Assistance Services, between Oct. 29 and Nov. 3, the call center of Virginia’s Medicaid Expansion program, Cover Virginia, took 19,000 calls and helped 3,200 people file applications for Medicaid expansion. On Nov. 5 and 6, DMAS received 7,500 paper applications based on the letters they sent to folks believed to be eligible.

Under the state’s current Medicaid program, low-income childless adults with no disabilities are not eligible for coverage, and income for a family to qualify is capped at $6,900 a year and at $9,700 a year for a person with disabilities. Under Virginia’s Medicaid Expansion program, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2019, childless adults are now eligible and income caps for both persons with disabilities and families has been increased.

There are several ways to apply for coverage: 1) calling the call center at 1-855-242-8282; 2) applying through the online application portal at commonhelp.virginia.gov; 3) applying through your local Department of Social Services agency (City of Falls Church residents may apply through the Fairfax County Department of Family Services).