More than 2 million Texans have lost Medicaid coverage since continuous enrollment ended last April, according to the .
COVID-era protections through the public health emergency (PHE) meant people had continuous Medicaid coverage from 2020 to 2023. But the federal government ended this , meaning every state had to redetermine whether people were still eligible for coverage.
鈥淚 think a lot of our fears came true through this process,鈥� said Diana Forester,
About 65% of people disenrolled were children, the highest percentage in the country. Many of the people who lost coverage were disenrolled due to . Forester said she thinks about it as 鈥測ou timed out.鈥�
鈥淢aybe you didn't get your notice in time, or you weren鈥檛 able to get your documents uploaded or submitted in time,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou timed out and then they just cut you off.鈥�
She said it鈥檚 especially concerning because many people 鈥渆ncountered a barrier in trying to respond鈥� and didn鈥檛 find out they had lost coverage until they were at an appointment with a pediatrician or a doctor.
Forester said she鈥檚 especially concerned with the number of kids who lost coverage, as Texas already has the in the United States.
A shows 鈥渘early 200,000 Texas children under age 6 are uninsured,鈥� and the state鈥檚 rate of uninsured children is a little over 10%, .
鈥淭hose kids are missing checkups, medications and mental health treatment,鈥� Forester said. 鈥淲e know those gaps in coverage are really detrimental to the overall health of kids. It keeps them from being able to go to school and be able to learn.鈥�
She said the organization鈥檚 focus in the upcoming legislative session will be on reducing barriers for families to access health insurance they鈥檙e qualified for.
鈥淗ow do we make our programs work better?鈥� Forester said. 鈥淭he ones that we have right now, let's make them work more efficiently.鈥�
A also highlighted people鈥檚 challenges with the unwinding process and the impact it had on health insurance retention. Nationally, a little over 20% of people disenrolled from Medicaid sometime in 2023 are still uninsured.
More than half of people who lost coverage 鈥渟kipped or delayed needed health care when attempting to renew.鈥�
鈥淲hen you have a change in your health coverage like that, it really does add additional worry and concern about your health status,鈥� said Lunna Lopes, .
People who were disenrolled from Medicaid said cost was the main reason why they could not access another kind of health insurance, and Lopes said even people with other forms of coverage were 鈥渇inding it difficult to afford monthly premiums and out of pocket costs.鈥�
Lopes said the survey findings showcase the complexity of the renewal process for some people, and the need for more support 鈥渇or these programs that are really important for people's lives, especially when it comes to health insurance.鈥�
Elena Rivera is 四虎影院鈥檚 health reporter. Got a tip? Email Elena at erivera@kera.org
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