Over a dozen states have excessive wait times for Medicaid call centers or high rates of call abandonment, according to CMS.
On Aug. 9, the agency sent letters to Medicaid directors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, evaluating states' performance on Medicaid call center wait times and call abandonment rates, rates of procedural terminations and the average wait time for applications to be approved.
"Excessive call center wait times and call abandonment rates may signal barriers to the opportunity to complete an application or renewal for Medicaid and CHIP telephonically," Annie Marie Costello, deputy director of CMS' Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services, wrote to state Medicaid directors.
As of Aug. 24, at least 5.4 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid. Of those disenrolled, over 74 percent have been disenrolled for procedural reasons, rather than being determined ineligible for the program, according to KFF.
Here are the 16 states warned for having excessive call center wait times by CMS:
1. Missouri
Wait time: 48 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 44 percent
2. Montana
Wait time: 42 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 40 percent
3. Rhode Island
Wait time: 39 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 21 percent
4. Maine
Wait time: 35 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 27 percent
5. Utah
Wait time: 35 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 26 percent
6. Idaho
Wait time: 34 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 7 percent
7. Florida
Wait time: 32 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 38 percent
8. Kansas
Wait time: 23 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 32 percent
9. Arizona
Wait time: 21 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 18 percent
10. New Mexico
Wait time: 20 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 19 percent
11. Alaska
Wait time: 16 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 24 percent
12. Oregon
Wait time: 15 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 24 percent
13. South Carolina
Wait time: 14 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 31 percent
14. Nevada
Wait time: 13 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 56 percent
15. Illinois
Wait time: 12 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 34 percent
16. Hawaii
Wait time: 7 minutes
Call abandonment rate: 30 percent