Millions of New Yorkers have been removed from their Medicaid coverage after the federal government ended its continuous coverage policy during the pandemic.
4 million New Yorkers were taken off Medicaid coverage as the government required recipients to reapply for coverage this year.
This follows a national trend of renewing Medicaid coverage since the government stopped offering continuous coverage through the pandemic. Six million Medicaid enrollees were removed from their policies.
Many of those who lost their coverage did so because of procedural reasons, with the KFF reporting that 69 percent nationally saw their coverage end because of a missed form deadline or incorrect address.
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While a high number of people lost coverage in New York, states across the country differed in the exact reasons people stopped receiving Medicaid.
New York also boasts one of the highest limits for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIPS), at up to 400 percent of the poverty level.
CHIPS is a state and federal program that offers health insurance to children from families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low for private coverage.
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The state also expanded its Basic Health Program to cover adults with income up to 250 percent of the poverty level, which is considerably higher than many other states.
Norris said that means those who do not qualify for Medicaid this year could likely find other coverage through that plan.
Meanwhile, Texas has intentionally stripped its Medicaid coverage through specific Medicaid insurance policies, said Chris Fong, CEO of Smile Insurance.
“We think a large portion of them were eligible through the temporary COVID Medicaid expansion and are no longer eligible,” Fong told Newsweek, adding that re-entry in Texas will be more difficult than in other states.
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For those without Medicaid, this news may come as a shock. “Many people during Covid lost their jobs and relied heavily on the Medicaid system to provide health insurance, but when they started working again, Covid Medicaid protections allowed them to continue participating on Medicaid,” Fong said.
For those who find themselves in this situation, Fong encourages them to take immediate action. “They often only find out they’ve lost their Medicaid when they try to see a doctor and are told they don’t have insurance,” Fong said.
“The best advice we can give is that if someone loses their Medicaid, they should contact their Medicaid agency immediately, find out the reason for the loss, and reapply if they are still eligible.”
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