Health Policy Experts Warn of Consequences If ARPA Subsidies Expire and Medicaid Redeterminations Resume

During the past two years, the number of people enrolled in Medicaid and marketplace plans has significantly increased thanks to legislation meant to help people as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. But millions of those people may lose their health insurance coverage in the coming months if those policies end, which could lead to difficult circumstances for them and the health care industry as a whole, according to health policy experts who spoke during a July 15 webinar sponsored by Alliance for Health Policy, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit.  

As of March 2022, nearly 87.9 million people were enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, up from just over 71.2 million in February 2020, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Sara Collins, Ph.D., vice president for health care coverage and access at the Commonwealth Fund, noted that much of the increase could be attributed to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).