Errors in State Numbers Could Exclude 30 Million Poorest Americans from Medicaid
A shocking report out of Washington reveals that as many as 30 million of the poorest Americans could be excluded from Medicaid, the government’s health care program for the poor and disabled, due to errors in state numbers. Poverty experts are sounding the alarm, saying that the government is not taking adequate measures to prevent this potential disaster.
States are currently conducting a reassessment of the 94 million people enrolled in Medicaid, a program that also serves millions of people in nursing homes. However, a wave of diverse problems has emerged, including long phone waits in Florida, confusing official forms in Arkansas, and children wrongly excluded from coverage in Texas.
Attorney Trevor Hawkins, who has helped hundreds of people navigate the Medicaid procedures in Arkansas, exposed process problems in the state. He highlighted issues such as forms that mistakenly told beneficiaries they had to reapply for benefits from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) instead of simply renewing them – a mistake that led to the hurried disenrollment of about 420,000 people in just six months.
Hawkins criticized CMS for not properly intervening in the situation, stating, “They ask questions, but they don’t tell us what’s going on. These should be red flags. If there is a situation where CMS should intervene, it is Arkansas.”
Activists from across the country detailed the problems they have encountered helping the 10 million people already disenrolled from Medicaid, with many arguing that systemic issues are being overlooked.
Last year, Congress repealed a measure that prohibited states from excluding people from Medicaid during the pandemic and required them to reevaluate the status of each enrollee during the following year. While Health Secretary Xavier Becerra was given the power to fine states that improperly terminated beneficiaries, the Health Department has not disclosed the problems it found.
Months ago, the Health Department briefly stopped the declines in 14 states, but did not clarify which states were affected or the reasons behind this decision. With millions of Americans’ health care hanging in the balance, advocates are urging for urgent action to prevent the catastrophic exclusion of the poorest and most vulnerable from Medicaid.