In the wake of the pandemic, Medicaid programs across the nation are reviewing the status of millions of enrollees, causing an upheaval that many are finding difficult to navigate. Stephanie O'Neill of KFF Health News has more.
Nationwide, enrollment in Medicaid - known as Medi-Cal in California - jumped by more than 22 million since the start of the pandemic. The government health insurance program covers those with low incomes and disabilities. As the U.S. unemployment rate soared amid covid-19 lockdowns, federal protections prohibited states from removing people from the program.
But those protections ended this spring. So far states have terminated coverage for about 10 million enrollees. Recipients and patient advocates say the review process has been chaotic. They say Medicaid officials have sent mandatory renewal forms to outdated addresses, miscalculated income levels, and offered clumsy translations of the documents. That's left many who qualify for coverage without it.
California, meanwhile, has removed a half a million people from Medi-Cal and - for those who are eligible - is automatically transferring their health insurance to Covered California plans.