Millions of Americans face losing Medicaid coverage in the coming months, but people in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and South Dakota will bear the brunt of the cuts first.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, Congress has prohibited states from reducing their Medicaid rolls. That ban expired on Saturday, and some states are moving considerably faster than others to boot out anyone considered ineligible for the government-run healthcare program for low-income Americans.
Millions May Lose Medicaid Coverage
The first five states will shut off coverage in April, followed by 14 more in May and 20 more states plus the District of Columbia in June. Over the next 14 months, all states must complete their redeterminations.
According to the most recent data available from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, more than 92 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program in December, a 31% increase from February 2020.
According to an August analysis issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, of the approximately 15 million people who could lose Medicaid coverage, approximately 8.2 million will no longer qualify.
Some 2.7 million of these people would be eligible for increased government subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage, which could reduce their monthly costs to $0. However, 6.8 million people will be disenrolled even if they are still eligible.
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States Were Allowed For Eligibility, Termination Reviews
Idaho, which has been monitoring enrollee eligibility throughout the pandemic, aims to finish its reevaluations by September, claiming one of the country’s quickest deadlines.
Of the over 450,000 Idahoans enrolled in the program, approximately 150,000 do not qualify or have not communicated with the state in the last three years. Those facing termination began receiving notices from the authorities in February. People have 60 days to respond before their accounts are deleted.
Last summer, Arizona’s Medicaid administration sent text messages, mail, and robocalls to registrants, urging them to update their contact information. While the state can automatically redetermine the eligibility of approximately 75% of its Medicaid members, it must still contact over 670,000 persons who may lose coverage because they are no longer eligible or have not answered to the agency’s requests. The state intends to review if its registrants are still eligible after a 12-month period.
South Dakota will begin terminating Medicaid enrollees in April, though some low-income adults may reapply in July when the state’s Medicaid expansion program kicks off.
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