February 25
Paperwork and Other Obstacles Prevent Renewal
A recent study conducted by the New York State Health Foundation showed that only one third of Medicaid members and recipients of other public health care actually renew when the time comes. This is in spite of remaining eligible for coverage. Experts blame overwhelming and confusing paperwork which results in applicants applying fresh instead of renewing, which is both inefficient and costly. A shift in focus from attracting enrollees to maintaining renewals may help prevent much of this effort from being wasted. Do you think making the process more user friendly would aid in this endeavor? Should there be more people available to assist current members in dealing with the confusing paperwork instead of leaving them to try and figure it out on their own and getting frustrated enough to give up?