Medicaid Disenrollment: Procedural Issues Leave 10 Million People Without Coverage, Children Majorly Affected

Over the past six months, 10 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid, according to a KFF tracker. Currently, just above 18 million people are confirmed as enrolled. This disenrollment is increasing as more states redefine eligibility. Most disenrollments (71%) happen for procedural reasons such as non-automatic renewal by states or failure of beneficiaries to complete necessary renewal forms. The rates of procedural disenrollment vary significantly among states. Importantly, due to procedural disenrollment, many who are eligible may have been wrongly removed. It is estimated that 4 in 10 children have lost coverage through this process, particularly in Texas. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has reinstated coverage for half a million children and is working to minimize the impacts of the end of continuous enrollment. The total effect of Medicaid redetermination is yet to be seen as most states began checking their rolls only recently and are expected to complete the process in a year to 14 months.

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[Source: STAT, November 3rd, 2023]