Medicaid to cut 14 MILLION Americans on health insurance as states crack down on eligibility for first time in three years — so are you at risk?
- Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid rolls have not been cleaned in any state
- Over the next 12 months, each state will ask its Medicaid residents to re-enroll in the program to see if they still qualify
- Those who don’t are likely to be redirected to the affordable care marketplace to choose another health insurance plan
Millions of Americans will lose their Medicaid coverage in the coming months as the government begins checking eligibility for those currently covered by the government-sponsored program.
About 84 million people are currently covered by the program, a figure about 20 million higher than in January 2020, just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, states will soon start checking the eligibility of everyone on the Medicaid roster for the first time in years, and as many as 14 million people could then be primed to lose their coverage.
At the outbreak of the pandemic, the federal government prohibited states from removing people from the Medicaid system even if they were no longer eligible for coverage.
Prior to COVID, people often lost their Medicaid coverage if they started making too much money to qualify for the program, or if they managed to get new health care through their employers.
Patients Kicked Off Medicaid Will Likely Have To Turn To The Affordable Care Act Marketplace For Coverage Options
It’s been three years since a state was allowed or instructed to clean their rolls
People were also regularly kicked off a certain state’s Medicaid rolls when they moved to a new state.
But none of these rules have been in effect for the last three years because of the pandemic, so now states are playing catch-up.
In the coming year, states will each have to begin re-checking the eligibility of every person taking Medicaid.
Individuals must fill out forms to verify their personal information, including income, address, and household size.
While 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, others will do so in May, June and July.
Not everyone who has become unfit is removed at once. States plan to verify the recipient important over a period of nine to 12 months.
States will send renewal forms to people’s homes. The federal government is also forcing states to contact individuals by other means — whether by phone, text, or email — to remind them to fill out the form.
Individuals are given 30 days to complete the form or the state may remove the person from Medicaid.
Some who have been kicked off Medicaid can purchase coverage from the Affordable Care Act marketplace, where some options cost as little as $10 per month.
Coverage, of course, will be different and may require a change of doctor, as well as higher co-payments and out-of-pocket expenses.
Some states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia will begin removing individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid in early April
A special enrollment period for those kicked off Medicaid begins in late March and lasts 60 days after a person loses coverage
A special enrollment period for those kicked off Medicaid begins in late March and lasts 60 days after a person loses coverage.
While many adults will no longer qualify for Medicaid, most children will still qualify for some sort of government coverage — whether it’s Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Up to 90 percent of American children are still eligible for those programs, according to estimates from the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families.
