How to Apply for Medicaid: AmeriHealth Caritas Provides Videos and Easy-to-Follow Instructions

AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other health care solutions for those most in need, has launched instructions to help Americans learn more about Medicaid and how they can apply. Highlighting this effort is its launch of two educational videos that demonstrate how Medicaid acts as an essential safety net for Americans experiencing economic struggles.

Medicaid was enacted in July 1965 as a joint federal-state program to help cover medical costs for Americans with low incomes or certain disabilities. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, more than 64 million Americans are enrolled in this program.1

Medicaid’s importance has become very clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 18.1 million Americans (seasonally adjusted) collected state unemployment insurance the week ending June 27,2 and an estimated 5.4 million American workers lost their health insurance coverage between February and May 2020.3 This doesn’t include freelance or other workers who purchased health insurance on their own but are no longer able to afford it due to lost income.

The videos — mainly aimed to inform the tens of millions of Americans currently unemployed or otherwise made newly eligible for Medicaid due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — provides potential Medicaid enrollees with easy-to-follow information that simplifies what Medicaid is, how eligibility is determined, what the application process is like, and what steps potential enrollees need to complete.

The videos can be accessed here. A one-page handout can be accessed here.

AmeriHealth Caritas has been serving Medicaid enrollees since 1983. It offers Medicaid managed care health plans in Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia, as well as pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services in additional states.

About AmeriHealth Caritas

AmeriHealth Caritas is one of the nation’s leaders in health care solutions for those most in need. Operating in 13 states and the District of Columbia, AmeriHealth Caritas serves approximately 5 million Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, and behavioral health services. Headquartered in Philadelphia, AmeriHealth Caritas is a mission-driven organization with more than 37 years of experience serving low-income and chronically ill populations. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritas.com.

1 March 2020 Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment Data Highlights. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, March 2020. https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/program-information/medicaid-and-chip-enrollment-data/report-highlights/index.html

2 Morath E. U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Edged Lower in Latest Week. Wall Street Journal, 9 July 2020. https://www.wsj.com/articles/unemployment-benefits-weekly-jobless-claims-coronavirus-07-09-2020-11594246014

3 Stolberg S G. Millions Have Lost Health Insurance in Pandemic-Driven Recession. New York Times, 13 July 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/13/us/politics/coronavirus-health-insurance-trump.html

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