Currently, the US is struggling with the delta variant of coronavirus.
No one’s denying this fact. On average, the US is reporting over 100K Covid-19 cases with thousands of death.
Going forward, the numbers will drop, the situation will get better.
And the Biden Administration would probably be able to take a sigh of relief. However, I don’t think that would be possible for them.
As soon as they get rid of COVID-19, a new crisis in the form of Insurance Coverage is lined up for them.
As per a social policy think tank Urban Institute, whenever the health emergency declaration ends, 15 million Americans who had enrolled in Medicaid during the coronavirus pandemic could lose their coverage.
Their research states that some states can lower the disenrollment by keeping residents covered through HealthCare.gov, a federal health insurance Marketplace.
Matthew Buettgens, a senior fellow at Urban Institute said, “Before the public health emergency expires, state and federal policymakers have time to consider how best to address both Medicaid beneficiaries’ needs for maintaining health coverage and the financial and administrative pressures on state and local governments”
“States can take actions to minimize unnecessary disenrollment and ensure that those losing Medicaid coverage know about their other coverage options, particularly Marketplace coverage with premium tax credits,”
Researchers at Urban Institute found that by the end of 2021, the continuous coverage requirement of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act would increase Medicaid enrollment by about 17 million.
And around that time, public health emergency is expected to expire.
According to the same study, Medicaid enrollees could decline by about 15 million (including 6 million children) by next year.
In the next few months, one-third of adults losing the Medicaid coverage would automatically get qualify for Marketplace premium tax credits once the enhanced tax credits get a permanent place in the American Rescue Plan Act.
If you further break down, about 57% of kids would be eligible to get into the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the other 9% would be eligible to receive Marketplace coverage with tax credits.
Avenel Joseph, vice president for policy at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation financed this study. He writes, “Expanding access to Medicaid improves health outcomes, particularly among communities of color and those with lower incomes.
“Expanding access to affordable and comprehensive health care will significantly move the nation closer to reducing long-standing racial and ethnic health disparities that were exacerbated by the pandemic.”