End of Public Health Emergency (PHE) Expected to Take Toll on State Medicaid Programs

Under the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), states have been eligible for extra federal funding for Medicaid in exchange for agreeing not to drop most beneficiaries from the program. But now the White House says that it intends to extend the public health emergency to May 11, 2023, at which point it will end.

The change will trigger a massive effort by Medicaid programs nationwide to re-evaluate each beneficiary to determine whether or not they remain eligible. States can start the redetermination process as soon as this month and can terminate Medicaid coverage for individuals as early as April 1, 2023.  This nationwide redetermination process is expected to be complete no later than May 2024. While the actual number of Medicaid enrollees who may be dropped during the unwinding period is uncertain, it is estimated that millions will lose coverage.

Based on a number of varying scenarios, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) estimates that between 5.3 million and 14.2 million people will lose Medicaid coverage during the 12-month unwinding period.

At this time, 28 state Medicaid programs provide some degree of hearing aid coverage for adults—although coverage varies widely among states. This anticipated drop in overall Medicaid coverage will result in individuals losing coverage for these services and reducing the number of enrollees who may have previously been eligible.

Learn more about Medicaid benefits, hearing aids, and other devices from the KFF.