Black and Hispanic Americans were more likely to lose access to health services such as Medicaid in the past year on account of not being able to complete renewal forms, according to a newly released study.
Published on Monday in the scientific journal JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers from Harvard Medical School, Oregon Health & Science University and Northwestern University analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey spanning from March 29 to Oct. 2, 2023. In their conclusion, they reported that, after the policy that allowed Medicaid users to keep their insurance without regular eligibility checks ended in 2023, over 22 million low-income people lost health care coverage.
According to their findings, a disproportionate number of those who no longer had Medicaid due to problems with re-enrollment were Black and Hispanic recipients. They were found to be twice as likely to lose their Medicaid coverage because of issues proving that they do qualify for health care services.
The report’s researchers are advocating for policymakers to make changes to their enrollment and overall process to help address this disparity in the renewal process.
“Addressing these barriers may include more transparent race and ethnicity data reporting, expedited administrative processes, expanded renewal assistance, and prioritized redeterminations for beneficiaries most likely to be ineligible,” said the researchers per their study findings.
Among those who could not complete the process of renewing their #Medicaid coverage, Black and Hispanic Americans were twice as likely as white people to lose their health insurance, a new study found. https://t.co/IHB8YP5c1P via @noahweiland @nytimes
— MDRC (@MDRC_News) June 4, 2024
Renewal form issues amongst Medicaid have been identified as contributors to expanding the coverage gap. Historically, people in the coverage gap have disproportionately been BIPOC Americans.
According to the latest report by the KFF, more than six in ten, or approximately 62%, of people that are part of the coverage gap are BIPOC. As they’re in the coverage gap, a sizable number of people are forced to live with a functional disability. Defined as a serious issue with cognitive function, hearing, sight and self-care, over one in six people, or roughly 17%, have a disability, but are unable to qualify for insurances such as Medicaid.
To help address the coverage gap, KFF researchers are highlighting the importance of Medicaid expansion.
“Legislative opposition to expansion may be softening in some states, driven by financial challenges facing rural hospitals as well as interest in taking advantage of the additional federal funding,” said KFF. “If additional states were to expand Medicaid, it could help limit increases in the number of people who become uninsured because of the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision.”
