Federal changes to add strain to state Medicaid workforce, experts say

Under federal reconciliation bill HR 1, which is expected to reduce Medicaid spending by almost $1 trillion over the next eight years, the state Medicaid workforce will face an expanded role of not only determining whether millions of enrollees meet the program’s new work requirements but also verify more frequently that they qualify for the program — every six months instead of yearly (Source: “States Face Another Challenge With Medicaid Work Rules: Staffing Shortages,” KFF Health News, April 9).
 
Many states do not have the staff to process Medicaid applications or renewals quickly and many enrollees could lose access to benefits they’re legally entitled to, said consumer advocates and health policy researchers, some of them with direct experience working at state agencies.
 
States are already “struggling significantly,” said Jennifer Wagner, the director of Medicaid eligibility and enrollment at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and a former associate director of the Illinois Department of Human Services. “There will be significant additional challenges caused by these changes.”
 
HPIO recently released a new policy explainer on changes to Medicaid financing in Ohio that will be enacted as a result of HR 1.