Enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program and child-focused Medicaid programs declined almost 600,000 in the first 11 months of 2018, according to an analysis from Stateline, part of Pew Charitable Trusts.
From December 2017 to November 2018, the number of kids enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP fell by 599,000 in the 48 states that submitted data to CMS. In total, enrollment was about 36 million across those states during the 11-month period, according to the report.
The three states that experienced the largest percentage drops in enrollment were Missouri (8.1 percent), Idaho (6.7 percent) and Utah (6 percent).
While some health policy analysts are puzzled and worried about the drop, some states said the decreases reflect an improving economy, according to Stateline.
For the full report, click here.