At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Congress passes the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This required all states to keep people continuously covered by their Medicaid programs until the Public Health Emergency ended. During this time, Medicaid coverage enrollment went up significantly by 21 million to 92 million enrollees.
States will have up to a year to revert back to normal rules regarding Medicaid eligibility and enrollment. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website describes what happens next and what this means for those enrolled in Medicaid and/or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP):
When continuous enrollment provision ends, millions of people could lose coverage that could reverse recent gains in coverage. As part of an end-of-the-year spending bill, Congress signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) on December 29, 2022, that set an end to the continuous enrollment provision on March 31, 2023, and separates the continuous coverage provision from the COVID-19 public health emergency…States that accept the enhanced federal funding can resume disenrollments beginning in April but must meet certain reporting and other requirements during the unwinding process.
In an effort to minimize the number of people that lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage, CMS is working with states and other stakeholders to inform people about renewing their coverage and exploring other available health insurance options if they no longer qualify for Medicaid or CHIP.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The Wise Money Show ran a segment on the Medicaid unwinding process here:
If you or your family are enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP, keep a look out for a renewal packet from your state. Be sure to follow the directions provided and respond in a timely fashion to avoid an interruption in your coverage. If you’ve received notification that you’re no longer eligible to participate in Medicaid/CHIP, you may be able to “get low-cost, quality health coverage buy a health insurance plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace [which] cover things like prescription drugs, doctor visits, urgent care, hospital visits, and more” (Healthcare.gov). For more information on the process of Medicaid Unwinding, and to see the rules regarding your state, visit here.
Social Media Trends as of April 9, 2023
Facebook #medicaidunwinding: people are posting about this
Instagram #medicaidunwinding: 192 posts
TikTok #medicaidunwinding: 212,200 views
Sources:
Covid Lexicon. “Medicaid Unwinding” meme. ImgFlip. April 9, 2023. URL: https://imgflip.com/i/7hju95?merp=1681038741.9708.
Health Care Marketplace. Healthcare.gov. URL: https://www.healthcare.gov/medicaid-to-marketplace/.
Wise Money Show channel. “Medicaid Unwinding is Underway.’” YouTube. March 2023. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csMfTmc_LUk.