Blog Medicaid Coverage Lost Last Year Amidst A Halt In Eligibility Checks.

Medicaid Coverage Lost Last Year Amidst A Halt In Eligibility Checks.

Last year saw a rise and fall in the number of people receiving health insurance. The healthcare coverage condition in the US is concerning as more and more people are finding it difficult to get financial aid for major health conditions (Source: NBC News).

Usually, people enrolled in medicaid have to undergo eligibility checks every year. For those who don’t know, medicaid is a government-funded health insurance that helps people with low income or disabilities. However, in March 2020, the federal government put a stop to the eligibility checks due to the public heath emergency that was at its door.

As a result, people were continuously enrolled in Medicaid, with almost zero rates of people being dropped for three years. This changed when President Joe Biden ended the emergency in the spring.

Several months later, people enrolled in Medicaid across the country were receiving letters as part of the unwinding process. The letters came as bearers of bad news for enrollees- the members of the family who were covered, were no longer eligible for Medicaid.

However, this would be restored if the parents/guardian or the enrollees could present a proof of their employment history. As of last month before the holidays, nearly 13 million people were dis-enrolled, as per the analysis of a nonprofit group focusing on health policy, KFF.

The net enrollment dropped by 7.8 million as per an analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. The center’s executive director, Joan Alker, said “This is huge. We’ve never seen a decline like this.”

Over 70% of Medicaid dis-enrollments in the states, were for procedural reasons such as paperwork that was missing. Losing coverage can have severe consequences for a person. With life on the line, especially for people with a disability or chronic condition, losing coverage is concerning.

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