Important Updates
Changes to health coverage that affect the people we serve, in plain language.
AHCCCS Is Changing in 2027
A new federal law changes how AHCCCS coverage is renewed, beginning January 1, 2027. Nothing changes today, and for most people there is nothing to send in yet. There is one thing worth doing now: make sure AHCCCS can reach you.
What's changing
- Renewals twice a year. Most adults ages 19 to 64 who have AHCCCS through the expansion group will renew every six months instead of once a year.
- An activity requirement. Those same adults will need to work, go to school, take part in a job or training program, or volunteer at least 80 hours a month, or have earned at least $580 in the month, unless an exemption applies.
- Less coverage for older bills. From January 2027, AHCCCS can cover bills from the month before you apply for expansion adults, and two months for children, adults 65 and older, and people with disabilities, instead of three months. Applying sooner matters more than it used to.
Who this doesn't apply to
- Children, and adults 65 and older
- People who are pregnant, and for 12 months after birth
- People with disabilities, and people who are medically frail
- American Indian and Alaska Native members
- Anyone caring for a child under 13, or for a person with a disability
- People taking part in a substance use treatment program
- Veterans with a total disability rating, former foster youth under 26, people recently released from incarceration, and others on the state's list
What to do now
- Check that AHCCCS has your current address, phone number and email, at Health-e-Arizona Plus.
- Open every letter and email from AHCCCS or DES, and answer by the date printed on the notice.
- Don't send documents unless AHCCCS asks for them. At your first renewal in 2027, AHCCCS checks the information it already has first.
- If a notice arrives and you aren't sure what it means, bring it to your next appointment.
- AHCCCS has a short screener that tells you whether these changes apply to you.
Where to get help
- Our front desk can sit with you and help you update your contact information in Health-e-Arizona Plus. Call us, or ask at your next appointment.
- AHCCCS support, Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm Arizona time: (855) 220-0903
- DES and KidsCare: 1-855-432-7587 (1-855-HEA-PLUS)
Confianza Health doesn't decide who qualifies for AHCCCS, and can't keep anyone's coverage in place: AHCCCS and DES do that. What we can do is help you keep your information current and make sense of what arrives in the mail.
We Now Accept Medicare
Confianza Health accepts Medicare Part B. If you have Medicare and have been paying for counseling yourself, or have been told that counseling isn't covered, it is worth another look.
What's new
- We accept Medicare Part B at both the Avondale and Phoenix offices.
- Medicare has paid licensed counselors and marriage and family therapists directly since January 2024. Many people are still told it doesn't.
- Medicare covers mental health visits by video from home, permanently, not just during the public health emergency.
If you have a Medicare Advantage plan
- Medicare Advantage plans are run by private insurers, and each one has its own network. Call us before your first visit and we'll check yours.
- Some of the plans we already take, like UnitedHealthcare, Banner Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, also sell Advantage plans. Being in network for one doesn't always mean being in network for the other, so it's worth the call.
Medicare Open Enrollment: October 15 to December 7
- This is the yearly window to join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. What you choose starts on January 1.
- If counseling matters to you this year, check that the plan you pick covers behavioral health the way you need, and ask whether your clinician is in its network.
- Outside that window, you generally keep the plan you have until the next one.
Where to get help
- Call us and we'll tell you what we can bill and what a visit would cost you.
- Free, unbiased Medicare counseling from Arizona's SHIP program: (800) 432-4040
- Medicare: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or medicare.gov
We can tell you what we accept and what we bill. We can't tell you which Medicare plan to choose, and nobody at Confianza Health earns anything from a plan you pick. Arizona's SHIP counselors do that for free and aren't paid by insurers.
If You Lose AHCCCS, You Still Have Options
Losing AHCCCS doesn't have to mean going without coverage, or stopping therapy. There are other ways to be covered, and some of them have deadlines.
What to know
- If your AHCCCS ends, you may be able to buy a Marketplace plan right away. HealthCare.gov says you may qualify if you lost Medicaid or CHIP in the past 90 days, rather than having to wait for open enrollment.
- Open enrollment for 2027 coverage starts November 1, 2026. Enroll by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1.
- Children who don't qualify for AHCCCS may still qualify for KidsCare, Arizona's coverage for children. DES can tell you.
- Plans and prices changed this year, and some insurers are leaving Arizona's Marketplace for 2027. If you already have a plan, check that it still exists and still covers your providers before you renew.
What to do
- Compare plans and check whether you qualify at HealthCare.gov.
- Don't wait for the letter to expire. If a notice says your coverage is ending, the clock has already started.
- Before you pick a plan, check that your clinician and your medications are covered by it.
- Tell us if your coverage changes, so your appointments and billing don't stop unexpectedly.
Where to get help
- Call us and we'll talk through payment options with you, including the plans we accept and self-pay.
- HealthCare.gov, day or night: 1-800-318-2596
- DES and KidsCare: 1-855-432-7587 (1-855-HEA-PLUS)
We aren't insurance agents or brokers, and we don't sell or recommend plans. HealthCare.gov's free assisters, and Arizona's DES offices, do that without being paid by an insurer.
Where to Check for Yourself
These are the official sources behind everything on this page, plus the places to turn when a decision doesn't go your way. None of them are us, and none of them are selling anything.
Coverage and eligibility in Arizona
If a plan says no
- AHCCCS grievances and appeals: how to disagree with a decision
- AHCCCS Office of Human Rights, for members living with a serious mental illness
- File a complaint about an insurer with Arizona's Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions
- Appeal a denied service or claim, including independent outside review
What the law says you're owed
- Your medical bill rights, including protection from surprise bills
- A good faith estimate: what care should cost before you get it, if you're paying yourself
- What Medicare covers for outpatient mental health care
- Questions about a bill? The federal No Surprises help desk: 1-800-985-3059
Free help from people who aren't us
- Cover Arizona: find a free, local enrollment assister
- Cover Arizona by phone: 1-800-377-3536
- 211 Arizona: food, housing, health and coverage help, in English and Spanish
- Free Medicare counseling from Arizona's SHIP program: (800) 432-4040
- AZ Care Check: look up a licensed Arizona facility's inspection history
Links to other organizations are here because they're useful, not because they're ours. Their information is theirs, and it can change without us knowing. If something you read there doesn't match what we've told you, tell us and we'll sort it out together.
