The National Center on Law & Elder Rights is hosting a free webinar entitled Unwinding the Public Health Emergency: Strategies for Advocates to Protect Dually Eligible Individuals on February 6, 2024 from 2:00 Pm-3:00 PM Eastern. 

After a three-year pause, Medicaid renewals have restarted and millions of people on Medicaid are going through the renewal process, many for the first time. Medicaid enrollment grew significantly during the pandemic with a 41.5% increase in adult enrollment from February 2020-December 2022.

However, the protections that allowed people to stay enrolled in Medicaid during the pandemic have ended and states are redetermining individuals’ eligibility for Medicaid, in a process called the “Medicaid unwinding.” More than 14 million people have lost Medicaid since the unwinding began in 2023, with the majority terminated for procedural reasons and not because they were found ineligible for Medicaid.

The unwinding poses many challenges for older adults, especially those dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, which makes it even more critical for advocates to understand the unwinding and learn strategies to reduce disruption. 

This webinar will provide advocates with information about the Medicaid unwinding process, including updates on the unwinding, specific challenges individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid may encounter, and common issues impacting dually eligible individuals. Presenters will identify steps that advocates can take with their states, partners, and clients to address these challenges and minimize coverage disruptions.

Attendees unfamiliar with the PHE unwinding or Medicaid redeterminations may want to review this past training.

Who Should Participate:

Aging and legal advocates, disability providers, and community-based organizations working with individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

Presenters:

• Gelila Selassie, Senior Attorney, Justice in Aging
• Tiffany Huyenh-Cho, Director, California Medicare and Medicaid Advocacy, Justice in Aging

Capacity for this session is limited to 3,000 participants, and all participants will have the option of accessing audio through the computer or by phone. Closed captioning will be available. Please be sure to log onto the webinar a few minutes early in order to secure your place for the live presentation on Zoom. If you would like to request ASL interpretation or have other accessibility related questions, please email ncler@acl.hhs.gov at least one week in advance.