Washington Report

An NIHB Publication

The Washington Report is an e-newsletter produced by the National Indian Health Board. Each issue contains a listing of current events on Capitol Hill, information on passed and upcoming legislation, Indian health policy analysis and action items.

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Data on Medicaid Disenrollment – July 25, 2023 Update

The Kaiser Family Foundation has created a tracker for the most recent data on the unwinding of Medicaid. The data is not specific to American Indians/Alaska Natives.

Rates of disenrollment differ widely across states, ranging from 10% in Michigan to 82% in Texas. On average, 73% of Medicaid participants had their coverage terminated for procedural reasons, rather than being determined ineligible. In states where the data is available publicly, Medicaid procedural disenrollment rates range from 30% in Iowa to 96% in New Mexico. Procedural disenrollments can happen when a state has outdated contact information or when enrollees are unaware of timelines for renewal, for example. American Indians and Alaska Natives are at higher risk of procedural disenrollments.

Note: Since March 2020, the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision placed a hold on all Medicaid disenrollments through the duration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. As of March 31, 2023, the provision is no longer in effect and states have begun to redetermine eligibility of their Medicaid enrollees.

NIHB has created a website with background information and materials about the unwinding process.