Biden administration warns states as millions lose Medicaid
More than 4 million people have had their Medicaid benefits terminated in the last four months, including nearly three-quarters who have lost coverage because of paperwork problems.
By Megan Messerly
08/10/2023 01:28 PM EDT
Updated: 08/10/2023 06:15 PM EDT
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is ramping up pressure on states that may be failing to meet federal requirements as they renew Medicaid coverage for millions of people for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
The agency has for months been mum about its behind-the-scenes communications with states, but on Wednesday made public letters it sent to state Medicaid officials warning that they may be running afoul of federal law and regulations. The letters, which were sent to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., identified three key areas of concern: high rates of people losing Medicaid because of paperwork problems, long call center wait times and slow application processing.
Thirty-six states were flagged as falling short on at least one of the criteria, including five — Alaska, Florida, Montana, New Mexico and Rhode Island — that fell short on all three.
The criteria don’t reflect all potential challenges with states’ unwinding processes, the letters are only based on data reported by states in May and some states are missing data.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/10/biden-administration-states-medicaid-00110686
