Image Credit: Medicaid by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0Alpha Stock Images
The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –
Nearly 1.8 million Tennesseans were enrolled in TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, in May according to numbers released Wednesday by the department.
That number is expected to be the peak of enrollment as the state has begun the redetermination process for Medicaid eligibility that either has begun or will soon begin across the country.
Medicaid enrollment in the United States peaked at more than 100 million, according to the Foundation for Government Accountability, as COVID-19 health emergency rules blocked redetermination between March 2020 to March 31. That meant anyone who qualified once for the programs continued to be eligible until this year.
States are required to check Medicaid eligibility once every year.
Overall, 1.3 million in the U.S. have lost Medicaid eligibility since redetermination began March 31 with Florida disenrolling 303,000 and Arizona next at 149,000, according to numbers from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
TennCare went into the state of emergency with 1.3 million members and expected membership to peak at 1.8 million before redetermination ultimately is expected to bring that number back down to 1.3 million.
The extra members from the COVID-19 emergency pause is expected to cost Tennessee $500 million this year.
Of those who lost coverage in the U.S., 29% applied again and were determined ineligible while 71% have lost coverage due to procedural disenrollment after the state could not determine the person was still eligible, according to KFF.
“I am deeply concerned about eligible losing coverage, and am urging states and partners to adopt the strategies we have outlined to help people renew their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan coverage if they are eligible or link them to new health coverage,” said U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “We will continue to monitor and work collaboratively with states, advocates, the health care industry and others to keep people covered.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced new rules to prevent those who still qualify for Medicaid from losing services, including allowing managed care plans to help complete portions of renewal forms and allowing pharmacies and community organizations to help with reinstatement for those recently disenrolled.
“Nobody who is eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program should lose coverage simply because they changed addresses, didn’t receive a form, or didn’t have enough information about the renewal process,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We encourage states to utilize all available flexibilities to ensure children and families don’t lose coverage. We also urge states to join us in partnering with local governments, community organizations, and schools to reach people eligible for Medicaid and CHIP where they are.”
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
