CHIP

Yesterday I noted that Idaho, which was the one of the first states to start "redetermining" Medicaid/CHIP enrollees the moment the Medicaid Unwinding process began last spring, has at least completed doing so; in the end, over 121,000 - 145,000 Idahoans got the boot, of which somewhere between 51,000 - 106,000 may still actually be eligible for Medicaid/CHIP coverage due to having their coverage terminated for purely procedural reasons.

Today, there's a consolation prize of sorts; via Your Health idaho:

Special Enrollment Period for the Loss of Medicaid Extended

Idahoans who have lost Medicaid coverage have until Nov 30, 2023, to enroll in health insurance through Your Health Idaho

via Dorothy Mills-Gregg of Inside Health Policy:

While most states are reaching the height of their post-pandemic Medicaid renewals, Idaho is returning to nearly normal redeterminations, closing out the bulk of its pandemic eligibility unwinding after removing more than 121,000 Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries the state deemed most likely ineligible from the programs in six months.

Hmmm...IHP's estimate is lower than that of KFF's daily tracker, which puts Idaho's total disenrollment number at 145,000 as of today.

Idaho’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollment grew by roughly 150,000 people during the pandemic’s continuous coverage requirement, maxing out at about 450,000 beneficiaries. An estimated 42% of the beneficiaries who were disenrolled lost coverage due to procedural or paperwork issues.

I haven't checked in on how many Americans have lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage due to the ongoing Medicaid Unwinding process playing out nationally since the end of July. Fortunately, KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation) has been diligently tracking the data, and it continues to be extremely depressing and concerning.

At the time, "only" 3.77 million 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).

KFF's data is now pretty comprehensive (it includes nearly every state plus DC), and it's bad if not worse than many healthcare advocates feared as the numbers have continued to grow dramatically:

Over at Inside Health Policy, Amy Lotven has an excellent scoop from a new CMS report which was hiding in plain sight:

New CMS data, quietly released in late August, show about 178,000 consumers chose a qualified health plan (QHP) through a state or federal exchanges after losing Medicaid and CHIP coverage in the first two months of the Medicaid unwinding. Those sign-ups through the end of May are more than three times the 54,000 enrollments that CMS reported in July, which reflected only the April numbers.

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

In May 2023, 93,815,749 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

• 86,783,676 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid in May 2023, a decrease of 279,373 individuals (-0.3%) from April 2023.

• 7,032,073 individuals were enrolled in CHIP in May 2023, a decrease of 41,687 individuals (0.6%) from April 2023

• As of May 2023, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has decreased by 61,085 since March 2023, the final month of the Medicaid continuous enrollment condition under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.
  • Medicaid enrollment has increased by 69,102 individuals (0.1%).
  • CHIP enrollment has decreased by 130,187 individuals (1.8%)

• Between February 2020 and March 2023, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP increased by 23,001,765 individuals (32.5%) to 93,876,834.
  • Medicaid enrollment increased by 22,634,781 individuals (35.3%).
  • CHIP enrollment increased by 366,984 individuals (5.4%)

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.

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.

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.

via New York State of Health:

June 30, 2023

• Enrollees in New York's Public Health Insurance Programs Must Renew Insurance by Deadline to Avoid Gap in Health Insurance Coverage
• New York State of Health Marketplace Assisting Consumers Through its Website and Customer Service Center at 855-355-5777
• Governor Issues Public Service Announcement Here Encouraging New Yorkers to Renew Coverage

Governor Kathy Hochul today encouraged eligible New Yorkers to renew their health insurance coverage as insurance renewal deadlines rapidly approach. The Governor also issued a public service announcement to get the message out to New Yorkers.