The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services remains very interested in procedural cancellations amid a large number of enrollees who have lost coverage during the continuing eligibility check period.
Medicaid and Children’s Center Health Insurance Program Services Director Dan Tsai held a press conference on Tuesday to follow the call to action from the Secretary of Health and Human Services. born Xavier Becerra on Monday. The administration of President Joe Biden is pushing states to be more careful not to remove eligible beneficiaries from the list for procedural reasons. HHS expects 15 million people to leave Medicaid by the time this process is complete.
Medicaid redefining has restarted less than two months after being suspended since 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 1 million people have been removed from the program, according to data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation. CMS plans to release data on unsubscribes from redeterminations next month, Tsai said.
Becerra wrote to governors Monday, begging them to use flexibility to facilitate a smooth redetermination process and to ensure that those with incomes remain low enough to qualify. Medicaid recipients do not lose coverage for administrative reasons, such as when the state government does not have up-to-date contact information.
“We are urging and asking every governor and every state to implement every strategy,” Tsai said. .
With CMS’s permission, states can also partner with health insurance companies that administer Medicaid to check enrollees’ records, extending benefits for one month to those who are disenrolled. for procedural reasons to give them time to stay informed and work with community-based organizations and pharmacies to help beneficiaries stay enrolled if they qualify, Tsai said. He said CMS has approved more than 250 waivers from states looking for flexibility as they implement legally required eligibility checks.
CMS also warned states that they will exercise their authority if they determine that they are not complying with federal rules that protect Medicaid beneficiaries from inappropriately forfeiting benefits. “We will not hesitate to use all of our enforcement tools to ensure that states are doing what they are asked to do throughout the renewal process,” said Chiquita Administrator Brooks-LaSure. .
