Assembly member Jessica González-Rojas (l.) and New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald
Photos provided
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the importance of health insurance in New York state into sharp focus. Millions of New Yorkers signed up for a low-cost state insurance plan and never had to re-enroll as a result of the federal government’s COVID-19 emergency declaration. With the COVID emergency now over, New Yorkers enrolled in these low-cost state insurance plans need to act now or lose their coverage.
Fortunately, the State Health Department and its partners are here to help. If you are contacted about re-enrolling, don’t put it off – the clock is ticking.
Queens residents have absorbed more than their share of pain due to COVID. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the borough has lost almost 14,000 residents to the virus and counted 873,000 cases. Corona, Queens, was known as the epicenter of the epicenter, and each day health care professionals responded to the call to action and saved our neighbors’ lives.
As part of its pandemic response, the White House declared a public health emergency, allowing Americans to automatically remain enrolled in healthcare coverage without having to renew their applications each year. This federal declaration and New York’s response to take every federal flexibility available to maximize coverage for consumers led to an increase in the number of insured New Yorkers, which in turn has led to better health outcomes.
With the public health emergency over, we need to keep people insured by re-enrolling them in Medicaid, the Essential Plan, and Child Health Plus, the state’s low-cost insurance plans. Make sure you’re checking your mail for your renewal notice, because enrollees will have at least 30 days from their notices to prevent loss of coverage. If you’ve changed your address or contact information since 2020, you should also make sure to update it with the New York…
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