Current:Home > StocksArkansas purges 427K from Medicaid after post-pandemic roll review; Advocates worry about oversights-LoTradeCoin
Arkansas purges 427K from Medicaid after post-pandemic roll review; Advocates worry about oversights
lotradecoin top traders leaderboard View Date:2024-12-25 12:41:24
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — More than 427,000 Arkansas residents were dropped from Medicaid in the past six months, as the state became among the first nationally to complete a post-pandemic eligibility review of the government-funded health care program for lower-income residents.
The state ended coverage for more than half of those whose cases were reviewed during the period — a removal rate that raised concerns Tuesday among some health care advocates even as the Republican-led administration defended its efficiency in shrinking the Medicaid rolls.
“Arkansas has distinguished itself by moving very rapidly to kick families off coverage, regardless of whether they are still eligible,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
During the coronavirus pandemic, states were prohibited from removing people from Medicaid in exchange for receiving enhanced federal funding. That moratorium ended in April, and states were required to resume annual eligibility reviews for participants. During the freeze, Medicaid enrollment swelled by nearly one-third nationally, from 71 million people in February 2020 to 94 million in April 2023.
States have 14 months to finish their backlog of eligibility reviews, according to guidelines from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But a 2021 Arkansas law required the state to complete the task in six months.
Arkansas Department of Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam said she was proud of the staff’s speedy work “to ensure that our program is serving only those who truly need Medicaid.”
“I’m excited to finally put the pandemic and the special rules that had been in place behind us, so we can focus on serving Arkansans under normal eligibility operations going forward,” Putnam said in a statement Monday.
Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ administration has continually defended the state’s review process — which renewed coverage for about 298,000 people during the past six months — even as some national groups have cited the state as a negative example.
Like in most states, many of those who lost Medicaid coverage in Arkansas were removed for procedural reasons, such as not returning renewal forms needed to verify their eligibility. Health care advocates contend some of those people likely would have remained eligible if the state had their full information.
People removed from Medicaid can regain coverage retroactively if they provide information proving their eligibility within 90 days.
But Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Grant Tennille said the disenrollments would have consequences even for people who are later able to regain coverage.
“It’s not just an inconvenience,” Tennille said at a news conference on Tuesday. “It can delay or terminate necessary medical procedures. These are people’s lives that we’re gambling with.”
House Minority Leader Tippi McCullough, a Democrat, said Arkansas residents are being robbed of stable health care coverage as they are dropped from Medicaid.
“How can you look at these numbers and not think the system has failed Arkansas families?” McCullough said.
While Arkansas forged ahead with eligibility reviews during recent months, some other states paused procedural terminations and slowed down their review process as federal officials raised concerns. President Joe Biden’s administration said last month that 29 states and the District of Columbia had acknowledged automation errors that flagged entire households as potentially ineligible instead of reviewing each person individually. Children typically have higher income eligibility thresholds than adults, causing federal officials to raise concerns that some may have been needlessly dropped from the rolls.
Arkansas officials have said they didn’t experience those automation problems, But figures provided by the state indicate around 149,000 children were removed from Medicaid during the past six months.
Arkansas’ percentage decline in children covered by Medicaid ranks among the largest in the nation, Alker said.
___
Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.
veryGood! (854)
Related
- Syrian rebel leader says he will dissolve toppled regime forces, close prisons
- You'll Be Amazed By These Secrets About Cruel Intentions
- Target launches paid membership program, Circle 360, with free unlimited same-day delivery
- Georgia Republicans say religious liberty needs protection, but Democrats warn of discrimination
- Sabrina Carpenter Shares Her Self
- Fed Chair Powell’s testimony to be watched for any hint on rate-cut timing
- Son of woman found dead alongside deputy in Tennessee River files $10M suit
- EAGLEEYE COIN: Unlocking the Future of Finance.PayPal's PYUSD meets DeFi
- Stop & Shop is using grocery store kiosks to make digital
- Son of woman found dead alongside deputy in Tennessee River files $10M suit
Ranking
- New Jersey, home to many oil and gas producers, eyes fees to fight climate change
- Sinbad Makes First Public Appearance 3 Years After Suffering Stroke
- EAGLEEYE COIN: Unlocking the Future of Finance.PayPal's PYUSD meets DeFi
- Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes’ Exes Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig Show Subtle PDA During Date Night
- What was 2024's best movie? From 'The Substance' to 'Conclave,' our top 10
- Georgia pushes group to sanction prosecutors as Fani Willis faces removal from Trump case
- Liberty University agrees to unprecedented $14 million fine for failing to disclose crime data
- Best Hair Products for Thin Hair and Fine Hair That Really Pump Up the Volume
Recommendation
-
Dick Van Dyke credits neighbors with saving his life and home during Malibu fire
-
North Dakota police officers cleared in fatal shooting of teen last year
-
Camila Cabello Reveals the Real Reason Why She Left Fifth Harmony
-
What is a whale native to the North Pacific doing off New England? Climate change could be the key
-
Sabrina Carpenter reveals her own hits made it on her personal Spotify Wrapped list
-
Missouri Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of ex-Kansas City detective convicted of manslaughter
-
Massachusetts art museum workers strike over wages
-
Sister Wives' Garrison Brown Welcomed New Addition Days Before His Death
Tags
-
lotradecoin customer experience feedback
lotradecoin crypto-to-crypto transactions
lotradecoin trading signals and analysis
lotradecoin trading fee structure
lotradecoin beginners
lotradecoin top traders leaderboard
lotradecoin supported cryptocurrencies list
lotradecoin beginner trading guide
lotradecoin market depth insights