PHOENIX – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today released national reporting of the Medicaid renewal progress by state, based on reporting by each state for the months of March and April. Arizona was one of five states that began the renewal and disenrollment process as of April 1, 2023.
The CMS data is a snapshot of Arizona’s first month of renewals and does not reflect the current reality; the current Arizona Renewals dashboard is more illustrative of where the state stands today.
Since April, AHCCCS has used its renewal data to learn in real time from the experience of members and how to better serve them through the renewal process. Some examples of innovations in direct response to renewal data include:
Ex Parte Renewals
In June, 67% of renewals were able to be determined “ex parte,” meaning that AHCCCS had enough information through electronic sources to continue Medicaid eligibility automatically without any member or state staff intervention.
90-Day Reconsideration Window
AHCCCS implemented federal authority to give parents and children a 90-day window (“reconsideration”) to complete their renewal if they were disenrolled for not responding to requests for documentation. As of July 1, 49,000 members used the reconsideration period, and 58% had been re-enrolled or were pending.
Call Center Wait Times
States and territories are experiencing extraordinarily high call volume related to the return to regular renewals. AHCCCS saw a 9% increase in call center wait times from March to April, 2023. AHCCCS and the Department of Economic Security (DES) share an eligibility system and call center for Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and temporary cash assistance benefits, so call volume is not limited to Medicaid renewals. To mitigate call center wait times, AHCCCS and DES:
AHCCCS posts its monthly renewal dashboard on the 10th of each month and will post CMS’ monthly data on the Renewals web page.
