Never removed from Medicaid during 22 months of FT employment, now unemployed again and not sure if still eligible?

Organizing all this by dates in my head is hard because the pandemic blurred 2020-2022 together. But here we go: in April of 2019 I quit my full-time job. I was eligible for Medicaid where I live (Virginia) at that time. The worst of lockdowns hit a few months later, but from July 2021-December 2022 I worked 2 (successive) PT jobs that paid decently, but offered no insurance. Starting in July 2021 I attempted to unenroll myself from Medicaid repeatedly. I wrote letters, called, went to their office…I could not for the life of me get ahold of them.

Virginia Medicaid says explicitly that they will audit your income levels and assets each year to determine whether you're still eligible. I, stupid person that I am, figured that I had been unenrolled from Medicaid and called the Marketplace…sometime during 2022 because my income level was above eligibility for Medicaid.

Marketplace determined I was eligible for tax credits for a Silver Plan. So during 2022, I had the Silver Plan for 2.5 months before I got a full-time job with full benefits. Until November 2022, I didn't realize I was still on Medicaid. I ended up in the ER and the nurse told me that the Department of Medical Services (DMAS) had not been unenrolling ANYONE during the pandemic. Would have been nice to know that, because the government came for those tax credits and I owed them $1000 this year to pay for 2.5 months of a $400 insurance plan, because I was still on Medicaid and didn't know it.

Folks…I was getting paid very well and had employer-paid health insurance for almost 2 years and have never been unenrolled from Medicaid. However, I quit my FT job in November 2023, and now am unemployed again…but with some significant assets.

I guess my question is, do I just fall back onto Medicaid and use that while unemployed, or do I call DMAS to double check (I have no income, but some assets) and risk them looking back and penalizing me for not…unenrolling myself? Should I call the Marketplace to see if they can tell me I'm eligible for Medicaid? Can someone help me figure out next steps?

submitted by /u/dearmissjulia
[comments]