The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), the think tank that analyzes the impact of federal and state government budget policies, published that the requirement for continued Medicaid coverage officially ended on March 31, 2023, meaning that States can resume Medicaid coverage terminations starting April 1.
However, the CBPP points out that millions of eligible individuals and families, particularly African-Americans and children are at risk of losing coverage during the “renewal” process.
Given this fact, the CBPP notes that states have many proven strategies that they can and should use to expedite the renewal process and ensure that eligible individuals remain enrolled.
Medicaid terminations are starting now in some states, but won’t start until later months in other states due to variations in renewal processing timelines.
Five states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire and South Dakota have reported that on April 1 is the effective date for your first coverage terminations. While 15 states have set a May 1 date, and the remaining 30 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and other territories will begin coverage terminations in the following months.
“We have published a series of resources that highlight some of the key strategies states should consider to preserve coverage for millions of eligible people: improve communication with registrants; expedite the renewal process; and reinforce the staff”, says the CBPP analysis.
During the renewal, CBPP analysts say, Medicaid agencies have 12 months to start renewals and 14 months to complete them, allowing them to spread the workload. And they point out that the renewal will not occur as a single event, since the process will take significant time through the remainder of 2023 and into 2024.
“Many people will lose coverage despite remaining eligible for Medicaid or being eligible for other types of low-cost coverage due to administrative hurdles they must overcome to maintain their coverage. But massive coverage losses are not inevitable. States must prioritize changes that they can act on quickly and that will have the greatest impact in keeping eligible people covered,” the CBPP analysis notes.
Keep reading:
Millions of people will lose Medicaid insurance when coverage for Covid-19 expires this Saturday
· CBPP calls on state and local agencies to prepare for the end of the Public Health Emergency and prevent losses of Medicaid coverage
· CBPP ensures that demanding work requirements prevent people from meeting their basic needs
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