Biden administration warns states as millions lose Medicaid

Key Facts

| David Goldman/AP Photo The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is ramping up pressure on states that may be failing to meet federal requirements as they renew Medicaid coverage for millions of people for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
More than half of states were flagged by CMS as having high rates of people who lost their Medicaid benefits for procedural reasons, meaning the state was unable to make a determination about whether the person was or was not eligible for coverage.
Sixteen states were flagged for having long call center wait times and high call abandonment rates, which CMS said are “impeding equitable access” to Medicaid coverage and may indicate potential noncompliance with federal requirements under the Social Security Act.
While much attention has been paid to Republican-led states that have prioritized removing ineligible people from their Medicaid rolls as quickly as possible and have, as a result, seen high rates of coverage losses, the letters suggest significant problems in blue states, which are by and large taking their time with the unwinding process.