When Medicaid redeterminations resume on April 1, an estimated 15 million people, or roughly one-sixth of the 90 million Americans currently enrolled in Medicaid, will be at risk of losing their healthcare coverage. According to a new poll from the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, six in ten Medicaid-enrolled adults said they are unaware they could lose their coverage when these eligibility redeterminations resume. This low awareness is concerning, as enrollees who are unaware of the change may not take the necessary steps to maintain coverage or find other coverage if they are no longer eligible. While the Consolidated Appropriations Act provides some guidance on how states should promote coverage continuity, it is critical that states do more to communicate these upcoming changes to Medicaid enrollees and take steps to minimize administrative errors that may lead to coverage loss for millions of individuals.
Health insurance enrollment through Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces reached record highs during the most recent open enrollment period, totaling 16.3 million people. These gains in enrollment are thanks in part to subsidies established by the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and subsequently extended through the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. While the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats have both called for these subsidies to be made permanent, Republicans on the House Budget Committee have recently proposed cutting them to address the national debt. An end to these subsidies could impact future enrollment numbers and overall access to affordable healthcare. During his State of the Union address on February 7, President Biden promised to veto any legislation that would make drastic changes to the healthcare landscape.
