As states begin the process of redetermining Medicaid eligibility, health policy experts are warning that too many people are losing coverage for procedural reasons. In Florida, Arkansas, and Indiana, nearly 80% of the terminations were for procedural reasons. States must make it easier for people to update their information with the state and provide clear and concise information about the redetermination process.
As states begin the process of redetermining Medicaid eligibility, health policy experts are warning that too many people are losing coverage for procedural reasons.
In Florida, nearly 250,000 individuals have been disenrolled from the state’s Medicaid program over the last month. Of those, 82 percent lost coverage because they did not update their information with the state. About 44,300 individuals made too much to be eligible and were referred to other coverage options.
Similarly, in Arkansas, approximately 80 percent of the terminations were for procedural reasons. And in Indiana, nearly 53,000 people have been disenrolled from Medicaid, with 88 percent of the terminations due to procedural reasons.
It is difficult to compare states’ redetermination processes because each Medicaid program is prioritizing different groups and reporting data differently. However, too many people are losing coverage for the wrong reasons.
“This is extremely troubling,” said Joan Alker, executive director and co-founder of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. “When governors see such large numbers of terminations of coverage for procedural reasons, they should pause the process and see what is going wrong.”
HHS has estimated that 15 million people total will lose Medicaid coverage during redeterminations. This is a significant number of people, and it is important to ensure that they are not losing coverage for the wrong reasons.
There are several things that states can do to prevent people from losing coverage for procedural reasons. These include:
- Making it easier for people to update their information with the state.
- Providing clear and concise information about the redetermination process.
- Offering outreach and assistance to help people who are struggling to complete the redetermination process.
By taking these steps, states can help to ensure that people who are eligible for Medicaid continue to have access to this important health coverage.
