Pennsylvania’s Medicaid enrollment has risen by 18,000 since October 1 even though the state did not expand its eligibility criteria as authorized by the Affordable Care Act.
Instead, the enrollment increase is being attributed to what is commonly called “the woodwork effect:” people who were unaware that they already were eligible for Medicaid, were led to explore their insurance options by all of the attention the Affordable Care Act has received in recent months, and subsequently learned that they were eligible for Medicaid.
For a closer look at the woodwork effect, how it has affected Medicaid enrollment in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and the enrollment increase’s financial implications for the state, see this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article.