Millions of Americans are set to lose their Medicaid coverage as the government starts to check the eligibility of those currently insured by the program. The program currently covers approximately 84 million people, a figure around 20 million higher than in January 2020, just before the pandemic.
However, for the first time in years, states will begin checking the eligibility of everyone on the Medicaid roster, and up to 14 million people may subsequently lose their coverage.
Before the pandemic, people frequently lost their Medicaid coverage when they became ineligible or gained new healthcare through their employers.
People were also regularly removed from the Medicaid rolls of a given state if they moved to another state. None of these rules has been in effect for the past three years due to the pandemic, and states are now playing catch up.
Over the next year, states will be required to verify the eligibility of each person on Medicaid, with individuals required to fill out forms verifying their personal information, including income, address, and household size. Some states, such as Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, will begin removing ineligible individuals from Medicaid in early April, while others will do so in May, June, and July. States will verify recipient information over a nine-to-twelve-month period and mail renewal forms to people’s homes.
Individuals who are kicked off Medicaid may be able to buy coverage on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, where some options cost as little as $10 a month, though the coverage may differ and may require a change in doctors, as well as higher co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses. A special enrollment period for those kicked off Medicaid will begin at the end of March and last for 60 days after a person loses coverage.
While many adults will cease to be eligible for Medicaid, most children will still be eligible for some form of government coverage, be it Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Estimates from the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families suggest that up to 90 percent of US children will still be eligible for these programs.
»Millions of Americans are set to lose their Medicaid coverage«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯