RI Medicaid Offers Enrollees Opportunity to Change Health Plans
Approximately 284,000 Rhode Islanders Eligible for Plan Change
CRANSTON, RI (February 28, 2018) – Rhode Island’s Medicaid program is offering its enrollees an opportunity to change health plans, if they’d like. RI Medicaid contracts with three participating health plans – Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, Tufts Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Tufts Health Plan is new to the Medicaid market as of 2017. Rhode Island’s Medicaid health plans provide health insurance coverage for approximately 284,000 Rhode Islanders.
The Annual Plan Change Opportunity runs through May 31, 2018 for Rhode Islanders enrolled in a Medicaid health plan. Families will begin to receive letters regarding this plan change in the coming days. Members can call HealthSource RI at 1-855-840-4774 or mail in a plan change request form. Medicaid members in RIte Care, Rhody Health Partners or Rhode Health Partners Expansion should all expect to receive a letter in the mail in late February or March.
“Our uninsured rate in Rhode Island is among the lowest in the country, at 4.3%, dropping 75 percent since the launch of our health exchange and Medicaid Expansion. Rhode Island is also ranked third in the nation for children’s health coverage, with over 98 percent of our kids covered,” said Patrick Tigue, Rhode Medicaid Director. “We are excited to be able to offer our families a choice of three, high-quality health plans to choose from. We encourage Rhode Islanders to review what their current plan offers and take advantage of this opportunity if interested.”
In Rhode Island, all three of Medicaid’s health plans have been ranked in the top tier for quality and access when compared with other Medicaid health plans across the country. Members can contact the health plans’ Member Services by phone or check the plans’ websites for more information.
All three health plans offer similar benefit coverage options. Prior to switching health plans, members should check to make sure their doctors and other providers are in the health plan they want to enroll in. Members are also encouraged to check the health plan’s drug list to be sure their medications are covered. For information on “extras” that the health plans may offer, members are encouraged to call the plan.
