Medicaid

via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

CMS Takes Action to Protect Health Care Coverage for Children and Families

• States must assess and fix their systems so eligible children and families can stay covered. 

Today, and as part of its ongoing work to make sure all Americans have access to health care coverage, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a letter to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands requiring them to determine whether they have an eligibility systems issue that could cause people, especially children, to be disenrolled from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) even if they are still eligible for coverage, and requiring them to immediately act to correct the problem and reinstate coverage.

July 26th, 2023: via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

HHS Approves 12-Month Extension of Postpartum Coverage in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Kansas

Jul 26, 2022 

via Nevada Health Link:

• Medicaid recipients deemed ineligible for coverage may be eligible for financial assistance and are encouraged to contact Nevada Health Link to avoid a lapse in health coverage

CARSON CITY, Nev. – As the redetermination process associated with the unwinding of the Public Health Emergency continues, Nevada Health Link, Nevada’s health insurance marketplace, is continuing to work diligently to streamline the enrollment process for individuals and households whose increased income no longer qualifies them for Medicaid coverage.

via New York State of Health:

• 2023-24 Enacted Budget Invests in Health Equity by Adopting Key Evidence-Based Interventions to Better Care for New York Parents and Newborns

ALBANY, N.Y. (August 24, 2023) – The New York State Department of Health announced several key initiatives aimed at improving maternal and newborn health. Enacted as part of the 2023-24 New York State Budget, the state is committing to multiple Medicaid investments that will expand access to prenatal and postnatal care and support better birth outcomes. This announcement is released on the heels of the State’s adoption of the federal option to extend Medicaid and Child Health Plus (CHPlus) postpartum coverage from 60 days to a full year following pregnancy.

It's been over six weeks since the last time I checked in on how many Americans had lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage due to the ongoing Medicaid Unwinding process playing out nationally. At the time, "only" 612,000 people had been confirmed to have lost coverage purely due to procedural/red tape reasons (as opposed to others who lost coverage after being determined ineligible any longer).

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has taken up the mantle on this front, and the data so far, while still limited, is pretty much as bad as many healthcare advocates feared. Since then, a lot more data has been collected and the numbers have grown dramatically:

via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

In April 2023, 94,151,768 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

• 87,062,629 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid in April 2023, an increase of 348,055 individuals from March 2023.

• 7,089,139​​​​​​​ individuals were enrolled in CHIP in April 2023, a decrease of 73,121 individuals from March 2023.

• Since February 2020, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has increased by 23,276,699 individuals (32.8%).
  • Medicaid enrollment has increased by 22,982,836 individuals (35.9%).
  • CHIP enrollment has increased by 293,863 individuals (4.3%).

Medicaid enrollment likely increased due to the COVID-19 PHE and Medicaid continuous enrollment condition under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which started in March 2020 and ended on March 31, 2023.

Back in March, after years of failed and stalled attempts to get it passed, the North Carolina legislature finally pushed ACA Medicaid expansion over the line to be signed into law by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

As for when the program would actually go into effect, however...that's been something of a mystery for awhile now. Apparently the wording of the legislation ties it in with it being included in the general state budget, which hasn't happened yet. As a result, no one seems to be sure whether NC Medicaid expansion will kick off in October, November, December or January of next year.

However, the state's Health & Human Services Dept. has decided to take a proactive, optimistic stance:

State Takes Action To Start Medicaid Expansion Oct. 1; Launch depends on General Assembly acting by Sept. 1

via New York State of Health:

• Nearly Three Quarters of New Yorkers Enrolled in Medicaid, Child Health Plus or the Essential Plan Have Renewed Their Coverage by the June Deadline; Renewal Strategies Are Working; Others Still Have Time to Act

• New York Outperforming National Average as Reported by KFF

• Monthly Dashboard Tracks Renewal Status, Demographics, and State Program Transitions During Public Health Emergency Unwind  

ALBANY, N.Y. (July 18, 2023) – The New York State Department of Health today released the first issue of New York’s Public Health Emergency Unwind Dashboard, a monthly report reflecting data on renewal status, demographics, and program transitions for public health insurance enrollees, which shows renewal outreach strategies are working.  The report indicates that roughly 72 percent of New Yorkers enrolled in Medicaid, Child Health Plus or the Essential Plan renewed their coverage before the June deadline to re-enroll and those who haven’t still have time to act to avoid potential lapses in coverage. As reported by KFF, the national renewal rate for states reporting data is 59 percent.

A few weeks ago I noted that, thanks to California Governor Gavin Newsom and the Democratically-controlled state legislature finally reaching a compromise agreement on how to allocate ~$330 million/year in revenue generated by the state's individual mandate penalty, around $83 million will be utilized to dramatically reduce out of pocket expenses for hundreds of thousands of ACA exchange enrollees.

Via Amy Lotven of Inside Health Policy:

via MNsure:

ST. PAUL, Minn.—As roughly 1.5 million Minnesotans who currently have Medical Assistance (Minnesota’s Medicaid program) or MinnesotaCare coverage are scheduled to go through the eligibility renewal process over the next year, some will find out they are no longer eligible for these public health care programs and need to find new health insurance. Minnesota’s official health insurance marketplace, MNsure, is here to help those Minnesotans find new coverage.

“If you learn you no longer qualify for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare coverage, you may have more health insurance options than you think,” said MNsure CEO Libby Caulum. “MNsure is here to help you and your family understand your options, apply for discounts to save money on monthly premiums, and make a smooth transition to a private health plan if you’re eligible. We can help you find new coverage so you can keep getting the care you need.”