November 10, 2023

OVER 10 MILLION HAVE LOST COVERAGE

As of November 1, over 10 million Medicaid enrollees have lost coverage, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 35% of those who completed the renewal process were disenrolled and 18.2 million enrollees were able to qualify for renewed coverage. The large range of disenrollment rates in each state varies, with the highest of 65% being in Texas and the lowest of 10% in Illinois. Out of all states with available data, 71% of all those disenrolled were due to procedural reasons. As the open enrollment period approaches, those who are no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage can apply for a Marketplace plan via HealthCare.gov.

The NDNRC wants to make sure that navigators who work with people with disabilities have all the resources that they need as it relates to enrollment in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace during Open Enrollment from November 1 to January 16. These resources consist of a Disability Guide to help in identifying issues that are central to healthcare insurance for people with disabilities along with 17 topical and 9 population specific factsheets.

Between November 1 and January 16 (in 2024, January 15 is a federal holiday. As a result, enrollees will have until midnight to enroll in coverage on January 16 – 5 AM EST on January 17), enrollees can enroll in a Marketplace health insurance plan. Those who have been disenrolled from Medicaid during the unwinding are eligible for financial assistance for a Marketplace plan and can review FAQs on switching from Medicaid to private health insurance. To reduce gaps in coverage, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created an unwinding special enrollment period, in which consumers may apply for Marketplace coverage at any time until July 31, 2024. This year’s open enrollment will be experiencing changes, noted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, as the Medicaid Unwinding continues.

The rate and execution of redeterminations varies from state to state but six months into the Medicaid Unwinding, nearly a third of redeterminations have occurred, according to a report by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families. The “Big Five” Medicaid managed care companies have reported that Medicaid enrollment has decreased but expect a large amount of those with terminated coverage to re-enroll. Procedural terminations account for many those who have been disenrolled from coverage, emphasizing the importance of states to step in and conduct more outreach to enrollees.

As of January 1, 2024, children who have been enrolled in a separate state CHIP program will be able to have 12-months of continuous eligibility even if they have a history of non-payments for CHIP premiums, noted by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families. States will not be able to terminate coverage for those enrolled and will help maintain access to care and coverage.

The CHIRblog will be releasing weekly Navigator Guide FAQs during Open Enrollment, and this week will be focusing on Marketplace eligibility. Topics this week included who can buy coverage in the Marketplace, comparing health benefits at work to a Marketplace plan, and immigration status as it relates to Marketplace plan eligibility.

Participate in the 2023 National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD)! This survey based at the University of Kansas gives voice to the concerns of people with disabilities and includes questions on access to health care, insurance coverage, housing, transportation, Long COVID, employment and more. This video covers the importance of the survey and those interested in more information about the survey can review this press release.

Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website.