A Medicaid glitch is removing health care coverage for potentially millions of children, U.S. health officials warned Wednesday. Automated systems involved in a large-scale eligibility review are causing entire households to be removed from Medicaid coverage, according to a news release from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), but children in the home may still be eligible based on family income even if their parents are not.
I think it’s a very significant problem, Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, told the Associated Press. The center is tracking the Medicaid renewal process in each state.
The eligibility review is happening now because a prohibition on removing people from Medicaid that was established during the pandemic ended this spring.
During that time, Medicaid rolls of those provided coverage grew from 71 million to 94 million, the AP reported. Now, states are returning to annual eligibility determinations.
The process of determining eligibility can include using computer programs to review income and household information, including whether someone received unemployment benefits or food assistance, and sending notices asking people to verify their eligibility.
