Hundreds of thousands have lost Medicaid coverage since COVID unwinding, many for procedural reasons

Hundreds of thousands of Americans with low incomes have lost Medicaid coverage in recent weeks as part of a sprawling unwinding of a pandemic-era policy that prohibited states from removing people from the program (Source: “Hundreds of Thousands Have Lost Medicaid Coverage Since Pandemic Protections Expired,” New York Times, May 26).

Early data shows that many people lost coverage for procedural reasons, such as when Medicaid recipients did not return paperwork to verify their eligibility or could not be located. The large number of terminations on procedural grounds suggests that many people may be losing their coverage even though they are still qualified for it. Many of those who have been dropped have been children.

So far, at least 19 states (including Ohio) have started to remove people from the rolls. A precise total of how many people have lost coverage is not yet known.

HPIO’s recently released Ohio Medicaid Basics 2023 includes information on how the COVID-19 public health emergency has affected enrollment and spending in the program.