CMS doubled the time states will have to determine Medicaid enrollees' eligibility status after the federal public health emergency ends.
In an Aug. 13. letter to state health officials, CMS extended the deadline for states to complete pending eligibility and enrollment actions by up to 12 months after the public health emergency concludes.
No date has been set for the public health emergency to conclude, but before the change, states would have had six months to complete the process.
Many states expressed concerns around the six-month timeframe, saying it would cause a "renewal bulge," which could result in an "ongoing administrative burden, as a more even distribution of renewals over the course of the year is more manageable," according to CMS.
Enrollment in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program has grown to a record 81 million people.