A Look at Post-Pandemic Medicaid Renewals

February 08, 2024

More than 16.2 million Americans have been disenrolled in Medicaid as the unwinding of the pandemic’s continuous enrollment provision moves past the halfway point.

State and federal officials are still working to understand how changes in Medicaid enrollment will affect access to health coverage across the U.S, according to a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The report comes as Pennsylvania insurance officials noted record-breaking enrollment on the state’s health insurance marketplace, Pennie.

“Still, the Medicaid unwinding’s impact on broader coverage trends remains to be seen. While national data show record enrollment in (Affordable Care Act) Marketplace coverage, a relatively small share of this growth appears to come from people who have transitioned from Medicaid to the Marketplace,” the KFF report notes.

Here’s what you need to know:

• In Pennsylvania:  Through January, about 575,000 Medicaid beneficiaries have been disenrolled and 1.3 million have had their coverage renewed.
• Net decline:  Pennsylvania was in the middle of the pack for Medicaid enrollment declines. The commonwealth had a net Medicaid enrollment decline of 9.5 percent.
• Worst, best:  Idaho had the highest net enrollment decline (32.5%), while Maine had the lowest (1.2%)
• Reasons for termination:  In Pennsylvania, about 44 percent of beneficiaries who were disenrolled lost coverage for procedural reasons, while 56 percent were deemed ineligible.
  • Nationally, 71 percent of people who were disenrolled had their coverage terminated for procedural reasons.
• Quotable:  “While the unwinding will likely contribute to increases in the number of people who are uninsured and in the uninsured rate, it is unclear what the magnitude of these increases will be.,” the report noted.

With the end of continuous enrollment, the Department of Human Services (DHS)—in partnership with provider organizations, including HAP—has developed resources to help providers share important information with patients.

DHS’ stakeholder toolkit includes printable education materials, scripts for conversations with patients, and digital assets, such as social media posts and website graphics. The toolkit is available online.

The KFF tracker is available online.