News Briefs: At Least 16.4M People Have Been Disenrolled From Medicaid

As of Feb. 1, at least 16.4 million Medicaid enrollees had been disenrolled from coverage since last April, representing about one-third of people who had applied to have their coverage renewed, according to KFF. KFF said the number of people disenrolled is likely higher “due to varying lags for when states report data.” Of the people who had been disenrolled, 71% were terminated for procedural reasons, meaning they did not complete the renewal process in time. The disenrollment rates ranged from 13% in Maine to 61% in Texas. Overall, states and Washington, D.C., have reported renewal outcomes for 52% of people enrolled in Medicaid, while the remaining 48% of people were awaiting decisions as of Feb. 1. 

Dirk McMahon, UnitedHealth Group’s president and chief operating officer, plans on retiring, effective April 1. McMahon joined UnitedHealth in 2003 and has been president and COO since February 2021. UnitedHealth has not named a replacement for McMahon, whose previous roles at the company included CEO of UnitedHealthcare and president and COO of Optum.