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On September 21, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule that is intended to help low-income Medicare beneficiaries gain access to Medicaid coverage of Medicare premiums and often, cost sharing, through the Medicare Savings Programs.
Six months into the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, KFF tracking shows states are reporting outcomes for over 28 million renewals, accounting for three in ten people who were enrolled as of March 2023 when continuous enrollment ended. This policy watch examines the latest data and key questions as the unwinding continues to unfold.
As states unwind the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, they must comply with federal renewal requirements, including the requirement to conduct ex parte, or automated renewals. This policy watch explains what ex parte renewals are, examines variation in ex parte renewal rates across states, and discusses current issues as well as actions states are taking to increase ex parte rates.
Some states are prioritizing Medicaid renewals for enrollees flagged as likely to be ineligible. Early data from Arizona, Idaho, and Pennsylvania show disenrollment rates for flagged enrollees are higher than for other enrollees. This analysis considers why different state approaches to renewals may explain some – but not all – variation in disenrollment rates across the U.S.
Medicaid enrollment increased since the start of the pandemic, primarily due to the continuous enrollment provision.KFF estimates that between 8 million and 24 million people will lose Medicaid coverage during the unwinding of the continuous enrollment provision.The Medicaid continuous enrollment provision stopped “churn” among Medicaid enrollees.States approaches to unwinding the continuous enrollment provision vary.Maximizing streamlined renewal processes can promote continuity of coverage as states unwind the continuous enrollment provision.States have obtained temporary waivers to pursue…
The 21st annual survey of state Medicaid and CHIP program officials conducted by KFF and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families in January 2023 presents a snapshot of actions states are taking to prepare for the lifting of the continuous enrollment provision, as well as key state Medicaid eligibility, enrollment, and renewal policies and procedures in place as of January 2023. The report focuses on policies for children, pregnant individuals, parents, and other…
With pandemic-era protections for Medicaid enrollees set to expire this month, state Medicaid programs are gearing up to resume eligibility checks and disenrollments. But how the unwinding of the federal continuous enrollment provision affects enrollees and state budgets will vary according to states’ differing approaches and administrative capabilities, a new KFF survey finds. The 21st annual KFF survey of state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) Program officials finds that many states are using an…
This brief describes 10 key points about the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement, highlighting data and analyses that can inform the unwinding process as well as recent legislation and guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help states prepare for the end of the continuous enrollment provision.
This brief presents findings from a survey and roundtable discussion of Medicaid managed care plans about the role they may play in the unwinding of the pandemic-era continuous enrollment provision.
This analysis uses Medicaid claims data to follow a cohort of children newly enrolled in Medicaid in July 2017 in states with and without 12-month continuous eligibility to examine how children’s enrollment in Medicaid changes over time and understand the effect of continuous eligibility policies.
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