Apple Health enrollment during the pandemic decreased the uninsured rate to a record low of 5.3%, according to the Washington Office of Financial Management. With the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 setting the end date of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement as of March 31, 2023, redeterminations will result in thousands of people losing their Medicaid coverage. That is of deep concern to NoHLA’s Ann Vining, who says she has nightmares, because so many people “are at risk of losing coverage.” Vining told the Everett Daily’s Joy Borkholder that “many people are going to lose out just because something went wrong in the redetermination or renewal process.” The US Department of Health and Human Services estimates that for half of Medicaid enrollees who will lose coverage, the cause will be administrative “churn,” not eligibility issues. 

The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) has created a checklist for the minimum states are required to do for redeterminations and an extensive compilation of PHE unwinding resources. NoHLA will continue to work to reduce the number of people who lose their Medicaid coverage through the redetermination process, including advocating for clear notice by the state and improving its outreach efforts.