Millions May Mistakenly Fall Off Medicaid Rolls During Unwinding
USA Today reports on concerns that states will erroneously end coverage for eligible people as they unwind protections put in place during the pandemic. A case in point: KARK reports Arkansas DHS will reenroll some recipients who were disenrolled.
USA Today:
As States Cut Medicaid, Some Fear They'll Mistakenly End Coverage For Millions Of Eligible People
Advocates warn states that accelerating this unwinding will make mistakes in what promises to be the largest bureaucratic lift in government health insurance coverage since the Affordable Care Act launched state Medicaid expansions a decade ago. The federal government estimates 8.2 million are no longer eligible, but 6.8 million could lose coverage even though they still qualify. (Alltucker, 4/19)
KARK:
Arkansas Department Of Human Services: Medicaid Coverage To Be Restored To Recipients Disenrolled In Error
An error has caused some Arkansas Medicaid recipients to be disenrolled from coverage, according to a statement from the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Gavin Lesnick, Chief of the DHS Office of Communications and Community Engagement said the DHS is working to redetermine eligibility for beneficiaries whose coverage was extended due to the COVID-19 federal Public Health Emergency. (Kushmaul, 4/20)
Modern Healthcare:
States Fighting Scammers As Medicaid Redeterminations Resume
Fraudsters are seizing on the Medicaid redeterminations process to trick one of the most vulnerable populations into paying to keep their health benefits. States paused the process of removing ineligible people from their Medicaid rolls in exchange for increased federal funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading Medicaid enrollment to swell to a record 97 million beneficiaries, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Congress authorized states to begin removing people from Medicaid in April and gave states 14 months to complete the process. (Tepper, 4/20)
Axios:
Medicaid Redetermination Leaves Pacific Islanders Vulnerable
Thousands of Pacific Islanders who went years without promised Medicaid coverage before Congress made amends during the pandemic could lose those benefits this spring in the first wave of eligibility redeterminations. States are culling their Medicaid rolls with the end of the COVID-19 emergency, removing guarantees of continuous coverage that reduced health inequities in ways obvious and not-so-obvious. (Dreher, 4/21)
Reuters:
Hospital Operators' Outlook In Focus On Medicaid Concerns
U.S. hospital operators are expected to report strong revenue for the first quarter, while investors will also focus on results for cues on the impact to future earnings following an end to COVID-related insurance protection. Beginning April 1, states were allowed to begin the process of re-determining if people qualify for Medicaid, the government-backed health insurance plans for low-income people, which was previously not allowed during the pandemic. (Mandowara, 4/20)
Fast Company:
What Gig Workers Need To Know About Pandemic-Era Medicaid Expiring
As many as 15 million people could lose their health insurance now that the U.S. is unwinding pandemic-era rules that required continuous Medicaid coverage. For gig workers who are impacted by the change, it’s vital that they’re ready to reaffirm eligibility, says Noah Lang, CEO of Stride Health, a benefits platform that helps independent workers sign up for health insurance plans. (Bursztynsky, 4/21)
In other Medicaid news from Texas —
The Texas Tribune:
House Moves To Expand Postpartum Medicaid
The Texas House advanced a bill Thursday that would allow low-income moms to stay on Medicaid for a full year after childbirth. The bill was preliminarily approved with bipartisan support in a 125-11 vote. All of the votes against the bill were from Republicans. It is expected to pass the House in a final vote on Friday. (Klibanoff, 4/20)
