Even before the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency was announced, health care advocates anticipated a steep drop in Medicare coverage.
The unwinding process has been underway for only a few months but already almost 5.5 million people are believed to have been disenrolled. At least 1 million of those disenrolled are children.
Some estimates, including one from KFF, project anywhere between 8 million and 24 million people will lose Medicaid coverage over the course of the unwinding, which is expected to continue into 2024.
Many of those who are kicked out of Medicaid are actually still eligible for coverage but are removed due to “administrative churn.” This is essentially missing paperwork or outdated information for the beneficiary, which can occur if an enrollee has recently moved and not updated their address or failed to fill out a certain form.
The Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University estimates that nearly half of people who are disenrolled still meet the eligibility criteria.
While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expressed concerns over some states possibly rushing through the process — requiring 14 states to pause disenrollment — the federal government has refrained from naming any specific states.
Read more at TheHill.com.
