Medicaid Enrollment Has Risen During the Pandemic

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Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Has Increased By 1.2 Million Since December – With Two-Thirds of the Increase Coming Since March, After the Pandemic Hit the U.S. After two years of declining enrollment, the number of people covered by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) rose by 1.2 million between December 2019 and April 2020, including an increase in enrollment of 800,000 people since March, finds a new KFF analysis. The analysis of newly released data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services suggests a reversal in previous trends of flat or negative enrollment growth as more people experience income and job loss and become eligible and enroll in Medicaid coverage. From March to April, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment increased in all but five states, reaching at total of 72.3 million people nationally. Adults accounted for the vast majority of the increase. The most recent rise in enrollment coincides with the dramatic increase in novel coronavirus cases this spring as the pandemic gained a foothold in the U.S., which had the collateral effect of disrupting the economy and triggering large job losses. The enrollment increases also reflect provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act under which states cannot tighten Medicaid eligibility standards beyond policies in place as of January 1 or disenroll existing beneficiaries through the public emergency period. Because Medicaid enrollment may lag behind increases in unemployment, data for subsequent periods will likely show continued enrollment growth, the analysis finds. For more data and analyses regarding Medicaid and the coronavirus pandemic, visit kff.org. Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.
Contact: Chris Lee | (202) 654-1403 | clee@kff.org
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