At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This Act mandated that Medicaid programs maintain individuals’ enrollment until the conclusion of the COVID-19 public health emergency. However, with the end of the public health emergency, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, delinked the continuous enrollment provision from the public health emergency, leading to the cessation of the continuous enrollment period on March 31, 2023. 

Over the past 13 months, millions of Americans have been disenrolled from Medicaid, with many more still at risk of losing their coverage due to disenrollments following the unwinding process of the continuous enrollment provision authorized by the FFCRA.  

As of May 1, 2024, more than 21 million Medicaid enrollees have been disenrolled across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Initially, it was estimated that approximately 17 million Americans would lose their Medicaid coverage during the unwinding process, with some of those Americans still eligible for Medicaid coverage. However, the most updated data available shows that the number of disenrollments has surpassed the initial estimate.  

For those who are still eligible for Medicaid but face disenrollment, procedural issues are often the root cause.  Procedural issues, such as failure to verify contact information or update personal information within the specified timeframe, have resulted in millions of people that still qualify for Medicaid coverage, losing their coverage.  Nationwide, 70% of individuals who have been disenrolled have lost their coverage due to procedural reasons. This high rate of disenrollment due to procedural issues is worrisome because many of these Americans are likely still eligible for Medicaid services, but now no longer have coverage. 

To find out if you have lost your coverage, you can go to Healthcare.gov to look up your coverage status. To prevent disenrollment, it is crucial for enrollees to renew their Medicaid coverage promptly. This can be done by visiting Medicaid.gov or HHS.gov.  

Ensuring that your information is up-to-date and understanding the renewal process can help prevent unnecessary disenrollment, ensuring continuous access to essential healthcare services.