News Briefs: Over 14M Lose Medicaid Coverage

Since states resumed the Medicaid eligibility redetermination process — with the first beginning in April 2023 — almost 14.4 million people have lost coverage. That’s according to KFF’s Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker, with data representing all states and the District of Columbia as of Jan. 9. States restarted their routine eligibility checking process this spring and summer after being effectively prohibited from doing so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the 14 million-plus people who have lost coverage since redeterminations resumed, 71% lost coverage for procedural reasons, KFF said. 

CMS on Jan. 9 approved an amendment to New York’s section 1115 demonstration, allowing the state to “make large investments in wide-ranging Medicaid initiatives.” Those initiatives include establishing base reimbursement rates for safety net hospitals; connecting people to housing and nutritional support services; enhancing access to coordinated treatment for substance use disorders; and making long-term investments in the state’s health care workforce. As part of the waiver, New York will also “increase and sustain provider payment rates and Medicaid managed care payment rates for obstetrics, primary care, and behavioral health,” CMS said.