Texas has seen an 82% decrease in its Medicaid enrollees since April, following a compulsory renewal process implemented in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enrollment rundown: States have started readjusting their Medicaid coverage with Texas reporting the highest drop in enrollees at 82%, Wyoming, on the other hand, shed only 8% of its recipients.
* At least 3.7 million people across 41 states and the District of Columbia have lost Medicaid coverage, most of them due to “paperwork reasons” such as receiving the renewal notice late or failing to meet the submission deadline.

Disturbing differences: There is a significant variance in how each state is handling what is being termed the “Great Unwinding”.
* Medicaid, jointly funded by states and the federal government, had seen dramatic growth during the pandemic. In March, it provided cover for around 93 million people, being one in four Americans.
* The reasons for the striking variation between states’ Medicaid roll numbers are still unclear.

Cause and consequence: Some enrollees are losing their Medicaid coverage due to changed circumstances, like a new job or increased income, which means they no longer qualify.
* Losing coverage, known as a “qualifying event”, allows individuals to sign up for alternative health insurance from either an employer or HealthCare.gov, without waiting for open enrollment.
* Those mistakenly removed from Medicaid can reenroll swiftly, yet even short-term gaps can cause significant stress, especially for those who are ill or unable to obtain necessary medication.

By the numbers: KFF, a health policy research organization, forecasts that up to 24 million individuals could lose Medicaid over the coming year.

View original article on NPR

This summary was created by an AI system. The use of this summary is subject to our Terms of Service.