Millions Lose Medicaid Mostly Due To Bureaucratic Issues, Not Eligibility
At least 3.8 million Medicaid recipients have lost coverage so far — a higher than expected number. The majority of those were disenrolled due to procedural issues like misdirected paperwork, mistakes by state agencies, and other "red tape," prompting the Biden administration to urge state governors to improve the process.
AP:
Paperwork Problems Drive Surge In People Losing Medicaid Health Coverage
Though a decline in Medicaid coverage was expected, health officials are raising concerns about the large numbers of people being dropped from the rolls for failing to return forms or follow procedures. In 18 states that began a post-pandemic review of their Medicaid rolls in April, health coverage was continued for about 1 million recipients and terminated for 715,000. Of those dropped, 4 in 5 were for procedural reasons, according to newly released data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Lieb, 7/28)
The Washington Post:
Nearly 4 Million In U.S. Cut From Medicaid, Most For Paperwork Reasons
Most of those people have been dropped from Medicaid for reasons unrelated to whether they actually are eligible for the coverage, according to KFF, a health-policy organization, which has been compiling this data. Three-fourths have been removed because of bureaucratic factors. Such “procedural” cutoffs — prompted by renewal notices not arriving at the right addresses, beneficiaries not understanding the notices, or an assortment of state agencies’ mistakes and logjams — were a peril against which federal health officials had cautioned for many months as they coached states in advance on how best to carry out the unwinding. (Goldstein, 7/28)
Reuters:
Centene Aims To Enroll Back Some Lost Medicaid Members
Centene Corp said on Friday it was working to enroll people back into government-backed Medicaid plans after the end of pandemic-relief measures left hundreds of thousands of members without coverage. Medicaid memberships, the largest contributor to Centene's revenue, were hit by the removal of pandemic-related relief measures on April 1 that rendered several members ineligible for insurance coverage. (Sunny and Leo, 7/28)
Houston Chronicle:
HHS Sec. Becerra's Houston Visit Highlights Medicaid Coverage Struggle
Vanessa Tovar knows how to navigate the Medicaid renewal process, but the long wait times and cumbersome phone calls still take an emotional toll on the single mother of two. She said she can’t imagine what the process is like for people who are less tech-savvy. “I feel like every time it’s time to renew, I’m like ‘Oh Lord, just let me get this,’” the Houston woman said Friday to a crowd of community health leaders at Hope Health & Wellness Center. (Gill, 7/28)
Iowa Public Radio:
Four Months Into Medicaid Unwinding, Iowa DHHS Says Around 120,000 Iowans Have Been Disenrolled
State officials are reporting around 120,000 Iowans have been disenrolled from Medicaid since April. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services is four months into Medicaid unwinding, the process of redetermining thousands of Iowans’ eligibility for Medicaid following the end of the national public health emergency this spring. (Krebs, 7/28)
Missouri Independent:
Missouri Kicked 32,000 Residents Off Medicaid In June. Half Were Kids
More than 32,000 Missourians — half of them children — lost Medicaid coverage in June during Missouri’s first round of eligibility checks after the COVID public health emergency. According to a Department of Social Services announcement Thursday, out of the roughly 116,000 Medicaid recipients who had their eligibility checked in June, around 43% retained coverage, 28% lost coverage and 29% have their determinations pending. (Bates, 7/31)
On Medicaid's 'estate recovery' collection program —
Dayton Daily News:
Ohio Medicaid Recovery Collected $87M From Dead Recipients Last Year, Puts Property At Risk
Rebecca Miller said her father was on Medicaid for about two years and she served as his caretaker at his home after he was diagnosed in 2018 with Parkinson’s disease, from which he died last August. About 30 days later while still mourning David Miller’s passing, the 36-year-old said she received a letter from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office stating her father owed $56,000 to Medicaid Estate Recovery. (Blizzard, 7/29)
Dayton Daily News:
Options, Resources Available To Help Ohioans Avoid Medicaid Taking Their Assets
Ohio collected more than $87.5 million last year through Medicaid Estate Recovery, frequently used to obtain the property of a deceased recipient who owes money to the Medicaid program. Future and current Medicaid recipients have options and resources available to minimize the potential of the state to recover their estates after they die, attorneys familiar with Medicaid Estate Recovery said. (Blizzard, 7/28)
