Text messages part of outreach to help 80,000 Nevadans who lost Medicaid

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — When the pandemic officially ended a year ago, it kicked off a process that removed Medicaid coverage for as many as 200,000 Nevadans.

But finding many of the people affected by the change presents a big challenge, especially if they have moved.

Now, Nevada Health Link is stepping up its efforts to reach those people — as many as 80,000 Nevadans — to make sure they know about benefits they might be eligible for: affordable health insurance to pay for things that Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) helped with until the federal government declared the end of the pandemic.

Nevada Health Link will be using text messages to contact people who have lost their benefits.

“Our new SMS texting initiative is a direct-to-consumer approach to connect with Nevadans who’ve lost their Medicaid coverage, and to simplify the process of securing affordable and high-quality health insurance,” said Russell Cook, Executive Director of Nevada Health Link. “We are committed to helping our community understand their options and enroll in a plan that meets their needs and budget, and we believe we’ll be able to effectively reach over 80,000 Nevadans through this campaign.”

Since Nevada Medicaid began redetermining eligibility in April 2023, only about 4% of Nevadans who were deemed ineligible for Medicaid benefits have enrolled in a plan through NevadaHealthLink.com, according to a Friday news release.

Nevada Health Link will only be texting households whose information was received as part of their account transfer process from Medicaid. All Nevada Health Link texts can be distinguished by the Nevada health logo and the Nevada State Seal.

The Special Enrollment Period is being extended through the end of November to provide the opportunity to enroll in an affordable health care plan through Nevada Health Link.

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