Hundreds of Thousands Have Lost Medicaid Coverage Since Pandemic Protections Expired

There has been a significant loss of Medicaid coverage among low-income Americans in recent weeks, due to the expiration of a pandemic-era policy which protected enrollees from removal. Early data suggests that many people lost coverage due to procedural reasons, despite still being eligible. Nearly one-third of Arkansas residents were enrolled in Medicaid at the end of March, but just a month later, about 73,000 people lost coverage, including around 27,000 children under 17. Most of those who lost coverage in Arkansas did so as a result of procedural reasons. A total number of how many people have lost coverage across at least 19 states remains unknown. Medicaid, jointly financed by federal and state entities, is a key component of America’s safety net. Before the pandemic, around 71 million were enrolled in the program; by this year, that number had risen to 93 million.

The unwinding process that led to the removal of Medicaid coverage in Arkansas and elsewhere came after a provision in a Congressional coronavirus relief package allowed continuous coverage and staved off eligibility reviews. The policy expired in March. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas has established Renew Arkansas, an initiative aimed at alerting Medicaid enrollees about this unwinding process and the changes to come. However, many people who lost Medicaid coverage for procedural reasons face a daunting task of verifying their continued eligibility for the program while complying with state-specific rules regarding enrollment.

Researchers fear that roughly half of the children in the United States are covered by Medicaid or CHIP, and many who lost Medicaid coverage were children from low-income families. One particular story details a case of a boy in remission from leukemia who currently lacks medical coverage due to the changes in Medicaid. Agencies in charge of the unwinding process believe that those disenrolled can obtain medical coverage from their employer or platforms such as the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. However, some estimate that nearly 15 million Americans may lose coverage through the unwinding process, including seven million who may still be eligible under the program. Efforts are underway, though it has been difficult to compare state-specific approaches.