Nearly one in four adults who say they were “disenrolled” from Medicaid health coverage as states unraveled a pandemic-era program are now uninsured, a new poll from KFF shows.
So far, more than 20 million people, or 21 percent of enrollees, have been disenrolled from Medicaid as a pandemic-era program to keep people covered with health insurance is unwinding, according to the latest data KFF has gathered from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, 43.6 million (46%) enrollees have had their coverage renewed, and 30.4 million (32%) are awaiting their Medicaid renewals, KFF’s latest data shows.
While those who have been disenrolled by states have coverage options, including remaining on Medicaid or enrolling in individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare, there are still those who aren’t insured, KFF research shows.
“About one in five enrollees say they were disenrolled from Medicaid coverage at some point in 2023 and about a quarter (23%) of those who were disenrolled remain uninsured,” KFF said in its analysis of the survey data published Thursday. “Some of those who were disenrolled eventually re-enrolled in the program (47%) or found other forms of health coverage (28%), but the loss of coverage led many to worry about both their physical health and their mental health.”
The KFF report is almost a year after the Biden administration ended in May of last year the U.S. public health emergency, which had boosted the number of Americans covered by Medicaid to all-time highs in the three years that followed the temporary ending of Medicaid redeterminations.
In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was signed into law on March 18, 2020 by then President Trump. That law included a “provision requiring state Medicaid programs to keep people enrolled in exchange for additional federal funding,” KFF said.
But since the public health emergency’s end last May, states once again are conducting Medicaid redetermination processes. Medicaid redetermination, also described as Medicaid renewal or Medicaid recertification, is essentially when people are asked to show they are qualified for such coverage and is today more commonly referred to as the “Medicaid unwinding.”
In an effort to gauge the experiences of people trying to renew their coverage, KFF interviewed more than 1,200 adults who had Medicaid before April 1, 2023. As they lose coverage, KFF researchers have found various reasons why people haven’t obtained coverage again, including costs.
“Health insurance costs are also a major concern for those who now have a different form of coverage,” the KFF analysis said. “Among those who now have other forms of coverage (8% of enrollees), half (50%) say they worry about affording their monthly premium, and three-quarters (76%) say they are worried about affording the costs of health care services. Most who have another source of coverage say it is about the same as or better than Medicaid in terms of access to care.”
Health insurance companies that assist states with administering their Medicaid programs have been working to ensure they re-enroll in their coverage or sign up to Obamacare.
Health insurers including Centene, Elevance Health, UnitedHealth Group and others with large Medicaid businesses will be reporting their first quarter earnings in the coming weeks and are likely to report whether their business has been impacted by decisions not to re-enroll in Medicaid or other forms of health coverage.
