Pub. 4 2020 Issue 1

and a win for children’s health coverage. What’s more, the federal government has said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, no one enrolled in Med- icaid can lose coverage (unless requested). This decision ensures that, at least for a few months, low-income families will retain their coverage. Utah’s Governor Herbert has also made some important changes to our Medicaid program in re- sponse to the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps one of the most significant changes was suspending new, onerous Medicaid work reporting requirements. Utah was the only state with active Medicaid work requirements. Other states, which had initially insti - tuted work requirements, found they created more bureaucratic red tape and program confusion, did not produce substantive increases in employment, and instead led to eligible enrollees losing their coverage. We hope the decision to suspend work requirements and other harmful barriers to care becomes permanent. Finally, while Utah closed the Medicaid cover - age gap, another gap remains. Thousands of low-income, working Utahns are still shut out of Medicaid because of their citizenship status. Thousands more are in mixed-status immigrant families and afraid to seek Medicaid. No Utahn should be afraid to get health care or denied coverage — especially now. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed many gaps and disparities in our current health care system, but it has also highlighted the power that we can have when we work together and respond as a commu - nity, including statewide support for full expansion in the 2018 ballot initiative. As a result, thousands of additional Utahns will be covered and receive care during the pandemic and economic crisis. I believe we can build on this success work to en - sure that all Utahns, no matter their background or immigration status, can receive comprehensive, affordable, accessible health care. Utah’s Medicaid expansion tale is not the end of the story — there are many chapters ahead. Some helpful resources for patients and providers are as follows: • Dial 2-1-1 from any phone in the state of Utah for in-person assistance on health care enrollment. • Contact the Utah Department of Health infor - mation on how to apply for medical benefits: https://medicaid.utah.gov/apply-medicaid/. • Use remote enrollment options from the Utah Health Policy Project: https://bit.ly/3bopwaU. • Watch a video about Medicaid expansion that was created by the Utah Department of Health. You can find it at https://bit.ly/3dTtfz5. Program Eligibility CHIP Children 138- 200% of the federal poverty level Medicaid Children 0-138% of the federal poverty level CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program) vs. Medicaid A common misconception is that low-income children are enrolled in CHIP. But CHIP covers a fraction of the children that Medicaid covers, because CHIP is for kids with slightly higher incomes. The two pro - grams work together to provide a foundation of coverage for kids: Utah Expands Medicaid | Continued from page 27 www.UtahAFP.org | 28