Medicaid enrollment Archives - Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania

Medicaid Enrollment in PA Continues to Rise – But Not as Much as Elsewhere

Medicaid enrollment in Pennsylvania rose 14.7 percent from February 2020 to March 2021.

That’s a lot, but Medicaid enrollment in 36 states examined as part of a recent analysis rose 17.7 percent from February 2020 to March 2021. Leading the way were two Medicaid expansion states, Utah and Nebraska, which saw their Medicaid enrollment increase 37.6 percent and 30.9 percent, respectively.

Other states with major increases in Medicaid enrollment were Missouri (26.5 percent), Illinois (26.3 percent), and Indiana (25.7 percent). The increases appear to have been driven by pandemic-related job losses and the accompanying economic downturn.

Learn more about where and why Medicaid enrollment is rising and where Pennsylvania fits among them from the article “What is Happening With Medicaid Enrollment in Q1 of 2021?” on the web site of the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.

jsteinbock2021-06-07T17:20:52+00:00June 8th, 2021|Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania Medicaid coronavirus|Comments Off

Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Rising in Pandemic

Medicaid enrollment rose 6.2 percent and CHIP enrollment 0.5 percent during the first four months of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports.

The enrollment increase can be traced to rising unemployment, with many people losing their employer-sponsored health insurance. The new figures cover five months, from February through June, the latter four of which marked the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals already serve significant numbers of Medicaid and CHIP patients; an increase in their rolls will prove financially challenging to them.

The information comes from CMS’s first monthly “Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Trends Snapshot.” Go here for CMS’s news release explaining its new initiative and here to see the trends snapshot itself, which includes figures for Pennsylvania.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-10-06T06:00:16+00:00October 6th, 2020|Pennsylvania Medicaid, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Medicaid Enrollment on the Rise

More people are enrolling in Medicaid, and much of the increase is driven by the COVID-19 emergency.

Or so reports the organization Families USA in a new study.

Pennsylvania State Map According to the study,

Over half of the 38 states reporting monthly enrollment through May or later have seen greater than 7% growth in enrollment since February. For the eight states reporting August enrollment, their average enrollment growth since February is approximately 11%.

But the implications are even greater, according to the analysis, which found that in large part because of COVID-19 job loss,

Medicaid enrollment among the 38 states reporting has already increased by 4.3 million people and is poised to increase much more in the near future. Analysis by Health Management Associates projects that up to 27 million people will lose their job-based insurance this year and that Medicaid will see an increase in enrollment of up to 18 million people by the end of 2020, depending on the severity of the economic downturn.

The effects of COVID-19 job loss and accompanying loss of insurance already appears to be visible in Pennsylvania, where Medicaid enrollment rose from 2.84 million in March of 2020 to 2.89 million in April, 2.94 million in May, and 2.977 million in June. Growing Medicaid enrollment poses a challenge for Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals because they care for so many low-income patients and payments from the state’s Medicaid program often do not cover the cost of the care they provide.

Learn more about the nation-wide trend in the Families USA report “Rapid Increases in Medicaid Enrollment: A Review of Data from Six Months.”

PA Safety Net Admin2020-09-16T06:00:58+00:00September 16th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania Medicaid coronavirus, Pennsylvania Medicaid COVID-19, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals|Comments Off

Interview With Seema Verma

In late December, PBS broadcast an interview with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verma. Kaiser Health News has published a transcript of excerpts from that interview during which Verma discusses Medicaid – including enrollment, eligibility, services, and children – Medicare for all, administration attempts to reduce health care costs, protection for people with pre-existing conditions, and more. Read those excerpts in the Kaiser Health News article “One-On-One With Trump’s Medicare And Medicaid Chief: Seema Verma.”

PA Safety Net Admin2020-01-09T06:00:16+00:00January 9th, 2020|Affordable Care Act, Federal Medicaid issues, Health care reform|Comments Off

Study Finds Surprise in Sources of Medicaid, CHIP Growth

While enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has been greatest among low-income families working full-time for small businesses, growth in Medicaid and CHIP enrollment among low-income families employed full-time by big businesses has been rising faster in recent years.

According to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment among low-income families employed full-time by large companies rose from 45 percent to 69 percent between 2008 and 2016. The driving force behind this growing reliance on public insurance appears to be the shift of health insurance costs from companies to employees: employee share of health insurance premiums rose 57 percent during that same period, leaving many families unable to afford even employer-subsidized health insurance.

Learn more about the growing Medicaid and CHIP participation rates among different economic groups in the Health Affairs report “Growth Of Public Coverage Among Working Families In The Private Sector.”

PA Safety Net Admin2019-07-09T06:00:56+00:00July 9th, 2019|Uncategorized|Comments Off

Pennsylvania Health Law Project Releases Monthly Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published the April 2016 edition of Health Law News, its monthly newsletter.
phlp Included in this edition are articles about a new, faster process the state has introduced for people to enroll in Medicaid; the awarding of contracts to managed care organizations to participate in the state’s HealthChoices program; an update on the Community HealthChoices program that will help nursing home-eligible seniors remain independent in the community; new funding for the state’s “Money Follows the Person” demonstration program; and more.
Find the latest edition of Health Law News here.

PA Safety Net Admin2016-05-06T06:00:03+00:00May 6th, 2016|HealthChoices PA, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania Medical Assistance|Comments Off

Medicaid Enrollment Down in PA

Enrollment in Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance program declined by 55,000 people during the second half of 2012.
While it is not clear why enrollment dropped so significantly, one theory is that some people who lost their General Assistance cash assistance – a casualty of the state’s FY 2013 budget – did not reapply for Medical Assistance. Others point to the inability of county assistance offices to process applications effectively.
Read more about the drop in Medicaid enrollment in Pennsylvania and its possible causes in this Philadelphia Inquirer article .

PA Safety Net Admin2013-02-25T10:54:28+00:00February 25th, 2013|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Medicaid Enrollment Down in Philadelphia Area

Medicaid enrollment in southeastern Pennsylvania fell 10,000 people between June and September of this year, with most of that loss occurring in Philadelphia.
Read more about this change in Medical Assistance enrollment, and the HealthChoices plans in which active participants are enrolled, in this report from the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council.

PA Safety Net Admin2012-12-21T06:00:46+00:00December 21st, 2012|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

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