Coverage For Millions Drops Off Medicaid Cliff As Covid Protections End
An anticipated 15 million low-income Americans will drop off Medicaid rolls as federal pandemic protections begin to unwind. Some states are telling people not to panic, and some are working to avoid a coverage gap for patients. Changing Republican stances on sex education and birth control are also in the news.
The Washington Post:
Medicaid Benefits Ending For Millions As Pandemic Protections Unwind
At the end of this week, states will begin to sever an anticipated 15 million low-income Americans from Medicaid rolls that ballooned to record heights because of a pandemic-era promise that people with the health insurance could keep it — a federal promise that is going away. The end to the temporary guarantee that preserved the safety-net health coverage for the past three years saddles every state with an immense undertaking: sorting out which Medicaid beneficiaries actually belong. Around the country, officials have been preparing for months, but the result is a bumpy landscape consisting of states that vary in how ready they are for this daunting work. (Goldstein, 3/29)
States tell people not to panic as they brace for big changes —
KOMU:
Medicaid Annual Renewal Approaches: MO Family Support Division Asks For 'No Panic'
Starting Saturday, April 1, the Missouri Family Support Division (FSD) will restart its annual Medicaid renewal, after a three-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beneficiaries are now required to update their address information and keep up with the renewal deadlines. ... Kim Evans, the FSD director, said her department is working to assure the community has all the needed information to help for a smooth process. She understands the amount of information can be hard to keep track of but advised Missourians to avoid panicking. “We want those individuals to be aware of the coverage options available to them, so that they can continue to have health care coverage, even if it’s not under [the] MO HealthNet umbrella,” she said. (de Carvalho, 3/30)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
End Of Pandemic Relief To Oust Hundreds Of Thousands From Georgia Medicaid
On April 1, the clock starts ticking for hundreds of thousands of poor, disabled or elderly Georgians who face the loss of their Medicaid health insurance. The majority are children. For three years, no one enrolled in the government program has had to renew their paperwork to prove that they still qualified. Existing cases automatically stayed on, and new enrollees were added in droves during the pandemic. The Medicaid rolls in Georgia swelled by 41%, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. (Hart, 3/29)
AP:
New Mexico Seeks To Avoid Coverage Gap For Medicaid Patients
A federal pandemic-related requirement that states offer continuous health care coverage for Medicaid recipients is coming to an end, meaning nearly 980,000 people in New Mexico will have to renew coverage when their applications are due, officials said Thursday. Officials with the state Human Services Department are urging people to renew their applications to avoid having a gap in health care coverage. The first batch of recipients will be receiving bright turquoise envelopes in the mail in the coming days as part of the state’s awareness campaign. (3/30)
DC News Now:
Medicaid Renewals No Longer Automatic April 1; How To Ensure Coverage
Tens of millions of Americans with Medicaid coverage will have to reenroll for health insurance coverage this weekend, prompting health officials to share ways to ensure people in the DMV who are part of that group continue to have coverage. While nationwide efforts are underway to notify people who need to take immediate action , not everyone may know how to keep their coverage. Eight-five million Medicaid recipients no longer will be automatically reenrolled in the insurance program, a pandemic era policy ending March 31. (Dennis, 3/30)
Fox8.com:
Are You One Of 200K Ohioans Losing Medicaid In April? What To Know And What To Do
About 220,000 Ohioans are expected to lose Medicaid benefits they were allowed to keep during the pandemic, starting in April. ... Ohio’s benefits renewal process started back up on Feb. 1 after three years on hiatus, meaning Ohioans who are still eligible will need to check in with the state and make sure their information is up-to-date, and those who are no longer eligible will need to find new insurance. (Dennis, 3/28)
WPXI:
Advocates Raise Concerns About Medicaid Cut-Offs
Health care advocates raised concerns over whether the state is equipped to adequately review renewals for the 3.7 million people who are currently on Medicaid. “We’re extremely concerned about whether there is sufficient staff and resources to handle this high volume of renewals,” said Amy Lowenstein, Director of Policy, Pennsylvania Health Law Project. (Kilmer, 3/28)
In other news about Medicaid coverage —
KHN:
In Texas, Medicaid Coverage Ends Soon After Childbirth. Will Lawmakers Allow More Time?
Victoria Ferrell Ortiz learned she was pregnant during summer 2017. The Dallas resident was finishing up an AmeriCorps job with a local nonprofit, which offered her a small stipend to live on but no health coverage. She applied for Medicaid so she could be insured during the pregnancy. “It was a time of a lot of learning, turnaround, and pivoting for me, because we weren’t necessarily expecting that kind of life change,” she said. (Rivera, 3/31)
Politico:
Sex Ed, Birth Control, Medicaid: Republicans’ ‘New Pro-Life Agenda’
Republicans in staunchly conservative states are championing some atypical legislation this session — promoting sex education, government welfare and more birth control. The proposals are part of what some governors and lawmakers have referred to as a “new pro-life agenda” for the post-Roe era — one that is increasingly breaking with their party’s socially conservative approach to maternal and reproductive health in favor of one more commonly pushed by Democrats. (Messerly, 3/30)
