FEBRUARY 2O23 UPDATE
10 Things to Know About the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Provision
This brief was written by Jennifer Tolbert and Meghana Ammula from the Kaiser Family Foundation and was updated on April 5, 2023 to include more recent and additional data.
1. Medicaid enrollment has increased since the start of the pandemic, primarily due to the continuous enrollment provision.
2. KFF estimates that between 5 to 14 million people will lose Medicaid coverage during the unwinding of the continuous enrollment provision.
3. The Medicaid continuous enrollment provision has stopped “churn” among Medicaid enrollees.
4. States have developed plans for how they will approach the unwinding of the continuous enrollment provision.
5. Maximizing streamlined renewal processes can promote continuity of coverage as states begin to unwind the continuous enrollment provision.
6. States can obtain temporary waivers to pursue strategies to support their unwinding plans.
7. Certain groups may be at greater risk for losing Medicaid coverage during the unwinding period.
8. States can partner with MCOs, community health centers, and other partners to conduct outreach.
9. Timely data on dis-enrollments and other metrics will be useful for monitoring how the unwinding is proceeding.
10. The number of people without health insurance could increase if people who lose Medicaid coverage are unable to transition to other coverage.
2. KFF estimates that between 5 to 14 million people will lose Medicaid coverage during the unwinding of the continuous enrollment provision.
3. The Medicaid continuous enrollment provision has stopped “churn” among Medicaid enrollees.
4. States have developed plans for how they will approach the unwinding of the continuous enrollment provision.
5. Maximizing streamlined renewal processes can promote continuity of coverage as states begin to unwind the continuous enrollment provision.
6. States can obtain temporary waivers to pursue strategies to support their unwinding plans.
7. Certain groups may be at greater risk for losing Medicaid coverage during the unwinding period.
8. States can partner with MCOs, community health centers, and other partners to conduct outreach.
9. Timely data on dis-enrollments and other metrics will be useful for monitoring how the unwinding is proceeding.
10. The number of people without health insurance could increase if people who lose Medicaid coverage are unable to transition to other coverage.
