The Medicaid Unwinding
The U.S. just had the highest uninsurance rate in its history. What's going to happen next?
In early 2022, the U.S. uninsured rate reached an all-time low. It was still too high (8%), but it was still the lowest in its history. But since the Public Health Emergency is over, people are beginning to lose Medicaid coverage, even if they are still eligible.
This is happening because there is a “redetermination” taking place to see who should still have Medicaid. This process is “Medicaid Unwinding,” meaning that people will no longer be automatically enrolled to Medicaid in the next year—as was happening during the Public Health Emergency—and will need to submit paperwork to prove whether or not they are still eligible.
If you’re currently covered under Medicaid, you will want to “make sure [your] contact information is current with the Medicaid agency, check [your] mail, and fill out all forms quickly.”
To find out more about the Medicaid unwinding, here’s what I’m reading:
The Unwinding of Medicaid Continuous Enrollment: Knowledge and Experiences of Enrollees. “While about six in ten of those with Medicaid as their only source of coverage would look for coverage from other sources if they were told they were no longer eligible, over four in ten say they wouldn’t know where to look for other coverage or would be uninsured.”
What Do the Early Medicaid Unwinding Data Tell Us? “While not all states that have resumed disenrollments have publicly posted their numbers, data from 12 states show that over half a million enrollees have already been disenrolled, nearly 250,000 in Florida alone.”
As Medicaid Purge Begins, "Staggering Numbers” of Americans Lose Coverage. “More than 600,000 Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended on April 1. And a KFF Health News analysis of state data shows the vast majority were removed from state rolls for not completing paperwork.”
If you have any thoughts or ideas as you read about this or navigate this yourself, please feel free to comment below!