New Hanover County Health and Human Services holds drive-thru Medicaid enrollment event

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —Today, a drive-through Medicaid Enrollment Event, and Community Resource Fair was hosted by the New Hanover County Health and Human Services Department of Social Services at Health and Human Services building.

Event attendees were able to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, get children’s books from the New Hanover County Public Library, and also learn about additional resources available in the county.

New Hanover County Department of Social Services Director, Tonya Jackson, said all five approved North Carolina Medicaid health plans were at the event to provide information, as North Carolina’s Medicaid Transformation will soon begin, July 1. This will shift NC Medicaid from a fee-for-service to a managed care model.

“The plans can work with them and give them some contact information. Some information on some of the things the plans offer, because some plans offer different things for preventative health, and also offer different things according to what their medical needs may be,” said Tonya Jackson, New Hanover County Department of Social Services Director.

With this transformation shift, NC contracts with insurance companies and pays a predetermined set rate per enrolled person to provide all Medicaid services, and beneficiaries are now needing to select a plan.

“We have over 23,000 beneficiaries in New Hanover County that will need to select a plan, and our hope is that everyone will take the opportunity to make their own choice for the plan. So, we are dedicated, as a county, to making sure that we put forth the services that are needed and that we support all of our residents in whatever manner that they may need,” said Jackson.

Most North Carolina Medicaid beneficiaries will need to choose a standard plan by May 14, before the state’s Medicaid transformation goes into effect in July, those who do not choose a health plan will be automatically enrolled in a plan.