Medicaid Changes 2023: Who will lose insurance and how to prepare as millions of Americans face Medicaid coverage loss explored

More than 15 million people would lose their Medicaid coverage as it expired on Friday, March 31, 2023. Medicaid is a service that offers free health insurance to people with a lower income. According to a rule issued in 2020, people would automatically be selected for the program, even if they weren't eligible.

However, since the facility ended on Friday, as many as 15 million people would now lose their health insurance. A nonprofit research organization, KFF, reported that more than 90 million people are members of the Medicaid and CHIP program.

Health policy professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Carrie Fry said that those who will be affected include children, young adults, blacks, Hispanics, and Latinx. Medicaid witnessed an increase in enrollment from 2020 to 2022.

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What are the changes coming to Medicaid 2023?

Activists and public housing residents gather and rally for housing and Medicaid relief included into state budget (Image via Lev Redin/Getty Images)

Starting April 1, 2023, all states will undergo an "unwinding" process from which they will continue their annual renewals. This will result in the removal of people ineligible for coverage.

The process will continue for a year and the states have been tasked to check who is eligible for the program. While people will be issued renewal and termination notices, some states will wrap up the process in less than a year.

The "unwinding" process started in eight states in February 2023, but the removal of members was not allowed until April 1, 2023. The remaining states would now take part in the process and the members would get 30 days to respond to a renewal notice and an additional 10 days for termination of coverage.

However, the program will not remove those whose income has witnessed an increase. States will get in touch with those whose enrollment will be terminated. The decision comes after Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

According to Jennifer Tolbert, around five to 15 million people will lose the facility alongside the eligible ones but haven't provided information that the state needs to confirm. Tolber is the Director of State Health Reform at KFF and is also an Associate Director for the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

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How to prepare for the situation?

Carrie Fry said that enrollees must ensure that their addresses are up-to-date and check out the program's application materials in an email by which they can complete the renewal. In case someone has moved into some other place, they must check the previous address for the application.

For more assistance, people can take the help of social service agencies, and community and faith-based organizations. Critical care physician at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, Dr. Adam Gaffney, said that those who lose their enrollment will still get an opportunity to purchase coverage under the Affordable Care Act.