Medicaid, CHIP Enrollments Reach 6M Since October, HHS Says
On Wednesday, the Obama administration announced that six million individuals have signed up for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program since Oct. 1, 2013, according to an HHS blog post, Politico reports (Cheney, Politico, 6/4).
Further, officials noted that:
- 1.1 million individuals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP in April (Morgan, Reuters, 6/4);
- Enrollment increased by 15.3% in states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA; and
- Enrollment increased by 3.3% in states that chose not to expand their Medicaid programs under the ACA (Viebeck, The Hill, 6/4).
Nevada, Oregon and West Virginia led expansion states in Medicaid enrollment, with enrollment increasing by more than 40%, while other states -- such as Alabama, Missouri and Wyoming -- that did not participate in the expansion are seeing much lower enrollment figures (Politico, 6/4).
According to The Hill, the Obama administration is urging states that have yet to expand their Medicaid programs to do so and noted that the federal government will pick up most of the cost for newly eligible individuals. CMS Deputy Administrator Cindy Mann in the blog post noted, "Coverage for newly eligible adult beneficiaries is fully paid for during the first three years by the federal government and is never less than 90% for the years following."
However, the total enrollment figures come as states continue to struggle with Medicaid application backlogs, which could mean some new enrollees might have to wait months for their applications to be processed (The Hill, 6/4).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.