Medicaid Unwinding: The Changes You Need to Know if You're on Medicaid
COVID-19 helped expand Medicaid and offered automatic renewal — but this changed when the public health emergency ended in May 2023.
Medicaid was expanded and included automatic renewal during the COVID-19 public health emergency. As the emergency has ended, there are many changes that people on Medicaid need to know about if they want to keep their coverage.
Here are the changes to Medicaid you need to know about, according to Cindy George, Senior Personal Finance Editor at GoodRx. These changes may cause adults and children to lose Medicaid, but there are things that can be done.
- Cindy George, MPHCindy George is a veteran health journalist. She became a Pulitzer Prize finalist as a Houston Chronicle reporter and is completing a master's degree in public health.
References
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare & Medicaid.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2023). Temporary special enrollment period (SEP) for consumers losing Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage due to unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment condition – Frequently asked questions (FAQ).
Guth, M., et al. (2020). The effects of Medicaid expansion under the ACA: Studies from January 2014 to January 2020. Kaiser Family Foundation.
HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). Health benefits & coverage.
Kaiser Family Foundation (n.d.). Status of state action on the Medicaid expansion decision.
Maximus. (2023). Anticipate spike in ‘fair hearings’ that address eligibility decisions as states ramp Medicaid Unwinding efforts.
Medicaid.gov. (n.d.). Medicaid eligibility.
Medicaid.gov. (n.d.). Renew your Medicaid or CHIP coverage.
Medicaid.gov. (n.d.). Unwinding and returning to regular operations after COVID-19.
Tolbert, J., et al. (2023). 10 things to know about the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision. Kaiser Family Foundation.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2023). Fact sheet: COVID-19 public health emergency transition roadmap.