OVER 34.3 MILLION HAVE THEIR COVERAGE RENEWED
As of February 13, over 16.9 million Medicaid enrollees have lost coverage, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) with 42.8 million renewals still remaining. 32% of those who completed the renewal process disenrolled and 34.3 million enrollees were able to qualify for renewed coverage. The large range of disenrollment rates in each state varies, with the highest of 59% being in Arkansas and the lowest of 13% in Main. Out of all states with available data, 70% of all those disenrolled were due to procedural reasons.
KFF covered a waiver watch on the Consolidated Appropriations Act which required all states to have 12 months of continuous eligibility for children in Medicaid and CHIP starting in January 2024. Section 1115 waivers would expand this continuous coverage to over 12 months and potentially to adults.
KFF has been looking beyond the data on the potential changes that state Medicaid programs will face in the next 1 to 2 years. Overall, states will get less federal funding in the next fiscal year, an overall decline in inflation adjusted revenue, and a need for more innovative programs in state health care.
Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) delved into data from the third quarter of the public health emergency unwinding. This report found that the rate of successful automated renewals increased, along with the volume of applications, leading to delays in re-enrollment.
CCF also summarized Medicaid and CHIP policy changes to expect in 2024. Changes include adults being able to retain Medicaid coverage until the age of 26, improvements to access to care, an increase in school-based health services, and keeping families and children covered through continuous eligibility.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated a state Medicaid and CHIP telehealth toolkit for best practices and strategies in using telehealth in schools. This toolkit also focuses on ways to deliver healthcare services to offset the current behavioral health provider shortage.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a 2023 update to the Equity Action Plan. “Equity is at the heart of every investment we make, and every initiative we take on. Nobody in this country should be left out or left behind because of where they live, their income, education level, or background,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. Main areas to advance include improvements in maternal and child healthcare, accessible healthcare, priority to the behavioral health of marginalized communities, and an increase in diverse clinical research.
The National Health Law Program (NHELP) released a comprehensive list of public health emergency and continuous coverage resources. This PDF includes federal agency key resources and specific declarations and laws in relation to the ending of the public health emergency.
NHELP also updated an executive summary on messaging and outreach tools for the end of continuous coverage for state Medicaid programs. Advocates for the disability community are encouraged to share this publication to help prepare those recently unenrolled from Medicaid to ensure their access to continuous coverage.
Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website.