“10 Things to Know About the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Provision”

“10 Things to Know About the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Provision,” by Jennifer Tolbert and Meghana Ammula, Kaiser Family Foundation

Quote:

“At the start of the pandemic, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which included a requirement that Medicaid programs keep people continuously enrolled through the end of the month in which the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends, in exchange for enhanced federal funding. Primarily due to the continuous enrollment provision, Medicaid enrollment has grown substantially compared to before the pandemic and the uninsured rate has dropped. But, when the continuous enrollment provision ends, millions of people could lose coverage that could reverse recent gains in coverage. As part of an end-of-the-year spending bill, signed into law on December 29, 2022, Congress set an end to the continuous enrollment provision on March 31, 2023, and phase down the enhanced federal Medicaid matching funds through December 2023. States that accept the enhanced federal funding can resume disenrollments beginning in April but must meet certain reporting and other requirements during the unwinding process. 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.”

 

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

This particular boondoggle may be slowly ending, but it remains proof positive of this principle. People love free stuff provided by the government until the bill comes due in the form of inflation but too few comprehend that causal connection.