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Maryland Department of Health recognized as a top state as it completes yearlong Medicaid redeterminations process
1.68 million eligible Marylanders remain enrolled as public health emergency unwinding concludes

Baltimore, MD — The Maryland Department of Health today announced the release of April renewal data, marking the end of a yearlong redetermination process. Throughout that unprecedented process, Maryland Medicaid made exhaustive efforts to maintain coverage for those who are eligible, resulting in more Medicaid enrollees than before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kaiser Family Foundation recognized Maryland as a top state when compared with data from other states.

“Maryland is honored to be recognized as a national leader for its redetermination efforts, ranking among the top ten states by the Kaiser Family Foundation for its exceptional performance in retaining enrollees,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Laura Herrera Scott. “Our unwinding efforts over the past year is a testament to the Moore-Miller administration’s commitment to leave no one behind. We want to thank our partners in the Managed Care Organizations and GKV for their work in sharing this message and success.”

In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services paused Medicaid and Maryland Children's Health Program renewals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, Medicaid enrollees were not required to complete the renewal process to maintain coverage. The recently published data is now available on the Department's website.

Through April 2024, Maryland Medicaid processed 1,540,247 renewals within the last year. Of all renewals conducted, more than 70% were eligible to have their coverage extended. Medicaid enrollment now stands at 1,684,462 as of May 31. This is compared to 1,415,631 prior to the start of COVID-19, an increase of 262,303. 

The Department was among the top states in using federal flexibilities and waivers to assist individuals and help ensure eligible individuals continued to receive Medicaid benefits, such as implementing automatic enrollment through already accessible data. One of those waivers was leveraging active enrollment in the Department of Human Services’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. More than 226,000 participants were determined eligible due to active enrollment in the program. Maryland's automatic enrollment rate is also among one of the best nationwide. 

For those that were determined ineligible, almost 100,000 individuals were automatically referred to sign up for low-cost coverage through a qualified health plan at Maryland Health Connection. To date, 35,106 participants have gone on to enroll in a plan, leading to record-breaking enrollment for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. 

The Medicaid Check-In campaign received national Aster Awards for its multi-media approach to spreading the renewal message. The innovative marketing campaign included collaborations with Fabric Health to deploy enrollment resources in laundromats using Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients to notify providers in advance of participants eligibility. Additionally, it involved publicly sharing data by race, ethnicity, age and zip code to engage community-based organizations. Governor Moore was also a key part of the campaign, appearing in a video to help educate Marylanders about the enrollment process. The Maryland Department of Health is using lessons learned to annually message on Medicaid enrollment.

“Maryland extends heartfelt appreciation to our invaluable partners, including Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), Health Care Coalition for All, community-based organizations, local health departments, provider associations, providers, and countless others,” said Deputy Secretary of Health Care Financing and Medicaid Director Ryan Moran. “The support and collaboration have been instrumental in achieving our shared goal of ensuring that every individual who remains eligible for Medicaid services keeps coverage.” 

To determine if you qualify for Medicaid, check your eligibility. If you are already enrolled, we urge you to maintain updated contact information to receive renewal notices.

For more information about Maryland Medicaid, visit health.maryland.gov/mmcp.


The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement. 

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