Renewed Eligibility Checks Threaten Medicaid for Millions

At the start of the pandemic, Congress sent extra money to states to bolster their Medicaid programs on the condition that they suspend eligibility reviews for the safety net insurance program. Low-income Americans, the thinking went, risked losing coverage because of bureaucratic snafus just when they needed it most. That agreement—which was extended eight times—is set to expire in April, threatening to leave millions of Americans uninsured. “There’s a high risk of people losing coverage, notwithstanding the fact that they’re likely to be eligible,” says Cindy Mann, a former Medicaid official who’s now a partner at Manatt, Phelps & ...