In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily waived certain eligibility requirements for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to help people keep their health coverage during the pandemic. Last year, CMS announced states would have to return to normal eligibility and enrollment operations once the official Public Health Emergency (PHE) had ended – a process referred to as “unwinding.” Last week, it was announced that the PHE would be extended by another 90 days to mid-April. However, new legislation calls for eligibility waivers and other pandemic-related flexibilities to end on March 31, 2023. See the communications toolkit for a plain-language explanation that will help both policymakers and beneficiaries understand Unwinding, and attend monthly webinars (Events section, below) held by CMS to get help with the process.
