Arizona Medicaid redetermination and renewals
If you’re enrolled in Arizona Medicaid (AHCCCS), your eligibility has to be redetermined every 12 months. That requirement was paused for three years due to the COVID pandemic, but it resumed in the spring of 2023. And starting in 2027, adults who are covered under Medicaid expansion will have their eligibility redetermined twice a year, due to changes in federal law. Learn how the Medicaid redetermination process may impact you and your family. We can help you understand how to stay covered.
How to complete your renewal and keep your Arizona Medicaid coverage
In 2023-2024, when eligibility redeterminations resumed after a three-year pandemic-related pause, the ex parte (automatic) renewal process was used for 90% of the people whose Arizona Medicaid was renewed. This means the state was able to renew the coverage automatically, without the enrollee having to submit any additional information.1
And Arizona has been taking steps to further optimize and modernize the AHCCCS eligibility determination system.2
So there’s a good chance that AHCCCS might be able to renew your coverage automatically. But if they don’t have enough information on file to determine whether you’re still eligible, you’ll receive a notice from AHCCCS about your upcoming renewal, and the information you need to provide.
AHCCCS notes3 that “the fastest way to update your information is online” at www.healthearizonaplus.gov. If you have questions about your renewal, you can call AHCCCS member services at 1-888-788-4408.
Here are the steps you should take to make sure your renewal is processed correctly:
- Update your contact information – Make sure your contact information is up to date with Arizona’s human services department, the Department of Economic Security (DES). You can do this by logging in to your HEAplus account at www.healthearizonaplus.gov, or by calling 1-855-432-7587.
- Check your mailbox – If you are covered by Arizona Medicaid or KidsCare, you may receive a request for information. This will help the state determine if you are still eligible for your AHCCCS coverage.
- Respond to any requests – Respond right away to any requests for information or verifications from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). You may also want to keep any communications you receive from the AHCCCS for future reference.
- Appeal, if necessary – If Arizona’s decision about benefits and services is to stop medical assistance, you have the right to appeal. The letter you receive about the state’s decision to end your coverage will explain how to request an appeal. It will also include the deadline for you to submit your appeal request. You can also reapply for Medicaid at any time.
No longer eligible to renew Medicaid in Arizona? You have options for health insurance in AZ.
Get coverage through your job
If you’re eligible for coverage under an employer’s plan (your own, your spouse’s, or your parent’s, depending on the circumstances), your loss of Medicaid will trigger a special enrollment period for the employer-sponsored coverage. But this enrollment window only has to continue for 60 days after your Medicaid ends.4 And the employer-sponsored coverage won’t be retroactive, so the longer you wait to enroll, the longer you’ll be without coverage.
Arizona health insurance Marketplace
In Arizona, AHCCCS may refer you to the federal Health Insurance Marketplace if you no longer qualify for Medicaid coverage. Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans through the Marketplace cover essential benefits, and there is a special enrollment period when you lose Medicaid. You may be eligible for an advance premium tax credit or cost sharing reduction to lower your cost for a marketplace plan. This special enrollment period for Marketplace coverage will continue for 90 days after your Medicaid ends. But the new coverage won’t be retroactive, so the longer you wait to sign up, the longer your gap in coverage will be.
Get financial help, if needed
If employer coverage is available to you, but it isn’t affordable, see if you qualify for financial help to purchase a Marketplace plan instead. Our Employer Health Plan Affordability Calculator can show you the potential savings you may be eligible for in the Marketplace.
See if you qualify for Medicare
If you are 65 or older, you may be eligible for the federal Medicare program, which provides health insurance. Medicare is also available to some younger people who have permanent disabilities, including end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). There is a special enrollment period for people who are eligible for Medicare but weren’t enrolled because they had Medicaid coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions about Arizona Medicaid redeterminations and renewals
When could I lose my Arizona Medicaid coverage?
If the AHCCCS redetermination process finds that you’re no longer eligible, your coverage will terminate instead of renewing. The date of the termination will be communicated to you in the renewal information that you receive.
In most cases, the redetermination process happens once every 12 months. But Medicaid expansion enrollees must have their eligibility redetermined every six months starting in 2027.5
What do I need to do now for my Medicaid renewal?
It’s important to respond to your renewal requests by the due date given in your notification letter. If you don’t, you may lose your AHCCCS health insurance even if you still qualify for coverage.
- You may receive a letter with a request for information.
- The AHCCCS may tell you it needs to verify information, such as earnings from a job or retirement benefits.
- You may be asked to fill out a “Verification of Employment History” form or a “Request for Verification of Unearned Income” form.
Footnotes
- “Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker” KFF.org. Mar. 2, 2026 ⤶
- “AHCCCS Eligibility Modernization Roadmap” AHCCCS. Aug. 7, 2025 ⤶
- “Enrollment & Renewal” AHCCCS. Accessed Mar. 28, 2026 ⤶
- ”FAQs on HIPAA Portability and Nondiscrimination Requirements for Employers and Advisers” (Question 10) U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed Mar. 27, 2026 ⤶
- “Implementation of “Eligibility Redeterminations,” Section 71107 of the “Working Families Tax Cut” Legislation (Public Law 119-21)” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Mar. 6, 2026 ⤶
