OVER 21 MILLION CHOOSE COVERAGE THROUGH THE ACA MARKETPLACE
As of January 30, over 16.2 million Medicaid enrollees have lost coverage, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). 33% of those who completed the renewal process disenrolled and 32.1 million enrollees were able to qualify for renewed coverage. The large range of disenrollment rates in each state varies, with the highest of 61% being in Texas and the lowest of 13% in Main. Out of all states with available data, 70% of all those disenrolled were due to procedural reasons.
The KFF also reviewed ten months of Medicaid unwinding data, with over 45 million people still requiring reverification of eligibility. This review expected disenrollment rates to steadily decrease, as states have already made their way through those who are ineligible.
Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) reported that most states have shown an increase in automated ex parte Medicaid renewals rates. This improvement in automated renewals reiterates the importance of the operational effectiveness and efficiency in state Medicaid programs.
CCF covered the increase of community health workers in Medicaid programs, with reimbursable services including health system navigation and resource coordination, health promotion and education, and screening and assessment. These services will fill gaps that are traditionally not met in state Medicaid programs.
CCF also found that expanding Medicaid coverage for parents and children is beneficial, as they can visit healthcare providers for necessary visits and in turn, have better health outcomes. This highlights the importance of coverage for families, especially parents and children with disabilities.
The CHIRblog reviewed policy changes in the ACA Marketplace and the federally facilitated Marketplace, such as efforts to reduce enrollment barriers, concise plan choices, promotion of market competition, and an overall increase in health equity. An interactive dashboard from the Commonwealth Fund is available to show state-by-state policies.
A complaint filed by the National Health Law Program, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and Upturn has alleged that over hundreds of thousands of Texas Medicaid enrollees were wrongfully terminated through the state’s automated eligibility system created by Deloitte Consulting services. Issues included patients losing coverage without their knowledge and children with disabilities losing home-based services.
Take part in the National Survey on Health and Disability, an anonymous and confidential survey that focuses on access to health care, insurance coverage, housing, transportation, long COVID, participation in the community, employment and more. Your experiences and opinions matter and are critical to include in this research that aims to inform and call decision-makers to action on issues that you and other people with disabilities care about. The survey can be completed online with a smartphone, tablet, computer or over the telephone with a project staff person. View the press release or outreach video for more information!
Open enrollment has ended but there are still people with disabilities who qualify for a special enrollment period. Navigators who work with people with disabilities who have communication-related needs in the process of applying for health insurance coverage through the Marketplace can review the NDNRC’s latest factsheet on assisting consumers with communication needs, complete with an accessible PDF version.
Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website.