Medicaid/CHIP enrollment increases to more than 83 million, says CMS
The public health emergency needs to be extended past its current mid-January deadline for millions to keep their Medicaid coverage.
Photo: Marko Geber/Getty Images
The latest enrollment figures released this week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show that an estimated 83 million people are now enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), representing an increase of nearly half a million.
The enrollment snapshot is from June, a month that saw 433,963 more Americans enrolled in the programs than in the previous month.
Since February 2020, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has increased by 12,507,181 individuals, or 17.7%, according to CMS.
Overall, there are about 76.3 million people enrolled in Medicaid as of June, and nearly 6.9 million enrolled in CHIP. Both are increases from 75.9 million and 6.9 million people, respectively.
However, unless the public-health emergency (PHE) is extended past its current mid-January deadline, millions face loss of Medicaid coverage, according to NBC News.
The most recent 90-day renewal was in October, lasting through Jan. 16, 2022.
MEDICARE
CMS also released figures for Medicare from October. As of that month, total Medicare enrollment is 63,964,675. Original Medicare enrollment is 36,045,321, and Medicare Advantage and other health plan enrollment is 27,919,354. This includes enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans with and without prescription-drug coverage.
Medicare Part D enrollment is 49,141,158, which includes enrollment in stand-alone prescription-drug plans as well as Medicare Advantage plans that offer prescription-drug coverage.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
CMS attributes the increase in total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment to the impact of the pandemic, in particular, enactment of section 6008 of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). FFCRA provides states with a temporary 6.2% payment increase in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) funding.
States qualify for this enhanced funding by adhering to the Maintenance of Effort requirement, which ensures eligible people enrolled in Medicaid stay enrolled and covered during the PHE.
THE LARGER TREND
In an effort to assist states and territories in their response to the pandemic, CMS developed strategies to support the programs in times of crisis, including granting states more flexibility in their Medicaid and CHIP operations.
In February, a letter sent to governors by the Department of Health and Human Services stated that the current PHE caused by COVID-19 would likely last until year-end. Through continued PHE extensions, many of the flexibilities provided to states and hospitals at the start of the pandemic have continued.
Because of the extensions, the expanded use of telemedicine, certain waivers to Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule requirements, as well as the 6.2% increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, have remained in place. Additionally, the public-health extension allows hospitals to continue to receive a 20% Medicare add-on payment for patients who test positive for COVID-19.
The Federal Medical Assistance Percentage extension means states are incentivized to maintain Medicaid funding and coverage as a way to receive the additional funds, which results in fewer uninsured patients and more government reimbursements to hospitals, according to Moody's Investors Service.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
