Medicaid Redeterminations Caused Many to Lose Health Coverage

By Consumers for Quality Care, on July 24, 2024

A new JAMA Health Forum study of 2,000 low-income consumers across four southern states revealed that about half of them were no longer insured after Medicaid redeterminations took place, according to Healthcare Dive. 

A federal emergency declaration enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic prevented states from removing patients from the Medicaid rolls, even if they no longer met the program’s eligibility requirements. But after the end of the public health emergency in May 2023, states started an unwinding process to redefine eligibility standards and remove ineligible individuals from Medicaid rolls. Although some consumers lost coverage because they no longer met income-eligibility requirements, many states either engaged in procedural disenrollment or simply refused to expand Medicaid coverage, leaving some consumers without any health care coverage. 

Of the 2,000 consumers surveyed that lost Medicaid coverage after redeterminations, about half became uninsured, more than half of those uninsured respondents reported higher rates of barriers that hindered their access to care. As a result, these consumers reported that they had opted to skip or delay medical care.   

Because the survey was targeted to low-income consumers, it’s likely that many are still eligible for Medicaid or for enhanced subsidies to purchase a health care plan through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. The study also found that states that haven’t expanded Medicaid saw more consumers lose their coverage during the redetermination period, as compared to states where Medicaid had been expanded.  

CQC urges lawmakers and regulators to ensure that consumers do not face any lapses in health care coverage because of Medicaid redeterminations. No consumer should have to face delays in crucial treatment and vital medication due to an inability to afford care.