More than 15 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid since April 2023, surpassing HHS' original estimates with several months left in the redeterminations process.
According to KFF, as of Jan. 16, 15,015,000 people have been disenrolled from Medicaid during the continuous coverage unwinding process. HHS estimated around 15 million people would lose coverage during the process.
States began the process of redetermining the eligibility of Medicaid recipients for the first time since 2020 in April, after continuous eligibility requirements in place during the COVID-19 pandemic expired.
Here are five things to know about where the unwinding process stands:
- Around one-third of people who had their coverage up for renewal were disenrolled from Medicaid, while two-thirds were reenrolled in the program, according to KFF.
- The majority of those disenrolled had their coverage terminated for procedural reasons, rather than being determined ineligible on the basis of income. According to KFF, as of Jan. 16, 71% of disenrollments were due to procedural reasons.
- Disenrollment rates vary widely by state. In Texas, 61% of those whose coverage was up for renewal were disenrolled, while in Oregon and Maine, 13% of those up for renewal were disenrolled.
- Children account for around 4 in 10 of those disenrolled from Medicaid, according to KFF. In December, HHS asked nine states with the highest child disenrollment rates to implement more flexibility to keep eligible kids enrolled.
- States were given 12 months to complete the unwinding process, though in December, HHS said it would extend flexibilities offered to states through the end of 2024. At least two states, Arkansas and Idaho, have already completed the redetermination process.