Medicaid cards being replaced; new ones are in the mail
By JOE L. HUGHES II Ledger Staff Writer joe@gaffneyledger.com

Hoping to make service easier for the approximately 650,000 Medicaid recipients statewide, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) began mailing new cards this week to those enrolled in the health program.

The agency began a mass mailout of the cards March 24. The documents are expected to be delivered over the next couple of weeks.

This is the first time in eight years DHHS has issued cards to beneficiaries.

According to Jeff Stensland, spokesman for the state DHHS, a number of things prompted the agency to issue new cards.

"We were finding increasing complaints of lost or damaged cards among recipients," Stensland said. "With our contract with a card vendor coming up, the choice to move forward with producing new cards made sense."

DHHS sent a letter a few weeks ago to recipients alerting them to look for the new cards, which have a new white, blue and green color scheme accompanied by the program's new name - South Carolina Healthy Connections.

"We let them know so there were no surprises on either end," Stensland said. "Also, with the addition of our program Healthy Connections to the card, it will familiarize them with the name and the logo."

Stensland said there has not been any feedback about the new cards, though calls from scammers seeking to prey on recipients have been reported to the organization.

"We received a call from someone in Timmonsville regarding a call stating that a bank account is needed before receiving their card," Stensland said. "Fortunately, that person hung up and called us. Such information is not needed."

The cards will be sent to the most recent address on file for beneficiaries.

A grace period has been allowed by DHHS to ensure those who have not received a new card are not denied services.

Those who do not receive cards within a few weeks should contact the local Medicaid eligibility office.