Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians could lose their free health insurance in the coming year, and many may not even know it. 

The AP reports that the end of a federal, pandemic-era prohibition against kicking people off Medicaid means eligibility rules will again be enforced for more than 3.6 million Pennsylvanians on the program. 

Enrollees will need to reapply for the first time in years, and efforts to notify them are underway, but advocates worry many will be missed.

"It's not the losing of it, but it's the losing of it by people who are still eligible and don't know where to go," said Amy Lowenstein, a lawyer and director of policy for the nonprofit Pennsylvania Health Law Project.

THE CONTEXT: The Urban Institute think tank estimates that 494,000 people in Pennsylvania will lose Medicaid coverage by June 2024, though many will be eligible for subsidized Affordable Care Act plans.

The Inquirer (paywall) offers the following tips:

• Pennsylvania expects to take at least a year clearing the backlog of renewals, meaning benefits won't disappear overnight.
• Update your contact information with the Medicaid program.
• Watch for notices sent by mail, phone, text, and email with information  about your renewal deadline. You can also get that info by calling the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (1-866-550-4355).
• Pennsylvania residents can also use an online COMPASS account to check the status of their Medicaid coverage.
• About 30 days before your coverage expires, you'll receive a renewal packet in the mail — assuming your current address is on file. 
• There will be a special enrollment period through Pennsylvania's Affordable Care Act marketplace for people who lose Medicaid coverage.
• And children no longer eligible for Medicaid will be eligible for Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) regardless of income, per WESA.

EARTHQUAKE: A 3.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Buffalo, NY early Monday, marking the region's strongest tremor in decades. Pennsylvania's largest-ever earthquake was a 5.2 on the Richter scale and had an epicenter near Jamestown. It was recorded in 1998.

SPEECH NIGHT: U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D., Pa.) will be joined by striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mailer James "Hutchie" VanLandingham at tonight's State of the Union address. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) will be joined by Dennis Horton, a man freed after 28 years in prison.

HOUSE FIRE: No one was hurt in a fire at a vacation home on Lake Ariel belonging to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) and his family. Officials say the blaze, which caused extensive damage, was electrical in nature. The house originally belonged to Casey's father, former Gov. Bob Casey Sr. 

HAND-CARVED: K. Leroy Irvis was Pennsylvania's first and so far only Black state House speaker, but he was also a sculptor, wood carver, and artist. PA House Archives on Instagram shared this carving Irvis made for Clancy Myer, the longtime and now-retired state House parliamentarian.

BOOK TALK: The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted, Matthew Desmond, will be at Harrisburg's Midtown Scholar Bookstore next month to discuss his latest — Poverty, By America — with state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D., Philadelphia). If you can't make it, you can watch live here.