CMS Presses States to Remedy Procedural Barriers to Medicaid Coverage

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent letters to every state Medicaid agency providing data the agency has reviewed relating to call center operations, unwinding renewal outcomes on terminations for procedural reasons and modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) application processing times.

The move from the CMS comes amid concerns that states have not done enough to prevent improper terminations of eligible Medicaid beneficiaries. The letter comes as states have been going through the process of redetermination of eligible Medicaid beneficiaries since April. 

Emergency provisions during the COVID-19 pandemic had placed a moratorium on the redeterminations—leading to a record high 83.5 million people who were covered under Medicaid. 

According to KFF data tracker, at least 4.1 million Medicaid enrollees have lost coverage as of August 9, 2023, based on the most current data from 42 states and the District of Columbia. Further, across all states with available data, 75 percent of all people disenrolled had their coverage terminated for procedural reasons. At this time, 28 state Medicaid programs provide some degree of adult hearing aid coverage although the extent of the coverage varies widely.

Reference

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2023) Unwinding Watch: Tracking Medicaid Coverage as Pandemic Protections End (accessed August 14, 2023).