New York eliminates coverage for 1.4 million individuals from the health care plan.

Millions of New Yorkers lost their Medicaid coverage when the federal government discontinued its policy of continuous coverage during the pandemic.

As per a Kaiser Family Foundation report, 1.4 million New Yorkers were removed from Medicaid coverage due to the government's mandate for recipients to reapply this year. Out of those previously on Medicaid, 3.3 million individuals were successfully reapproved.

This reflects a nationwide pattern as states address the renewal of Medicaid coverage after the government ceased offering continuous coverage during the pandemic. Across the country, approximately 19.6 million Medicaid enrollees were removed from their policies. This accounts for roughly 30 percent of enrollees since the Medicaid reduction process commenced.

A significant number of individuals lost their coverage due to procedural issues, as reported by the KFF. Nationally, 69 percent of those affected had their coverage terminated due to missed form deadlines or incorrect address information.

In New York, specifically, this constituted 45 percent of recipients who were disenrolled.

Although New York experienced a significant number of individuals losing coverage, states across the nation varied in the specific reasons why people ceased receiving Medicaid benefits.

While certain Southern states such as Texas and Florida have halted Medicaid expansion and imposed stricter approval criteria, the decrease in New York's Medicaid numbers may primarily be due to the state's large population, resulting in a higher number of Medicaid enrollees.

Louise Norris, a health policy analyst for healthinsurance.org, explained to Newsweek, "Given their sizable Medicaid populations, it's logical that they also experience the highest number of disenrollments during the transition period. The volume of eligibility reviews they handle each month surpasses the total Medicaid enrollment in some states."

New York also has one of the most generous income limits for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), extending coverage to families with incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty level. CHIP is a joint state and federal program designed to provide health insurance to children from households whose incomes are above Medicaid thresholds but still insufficient for private insurance coverage.

New York has also broadened its Basic Health Program to include adults with incomes up to 250 percent of the poverty level, a threshold significantly higher than what many other states offer. This means individuals who do not qualify for Medicaid this year may still have access to alternative coverage through this program, as noted by Norris.

Chris Fong, the CEO of Smile Insurance, mentioned that Texas has deliberately restricted its Medicaid coverage through targeted policy decisions.

"It is our belief that a significant number of individuals qualified for Medicaid through the temporary COVID expansion and now no longer meet the eligibility criteria," Fong explained to Newsweek, noting that requalification in Texas will be more challenging compared to other states.

The news of losing Medicaid coverage can come as a surprise to those affected.

"Fong explained that during Covid, many individuals lost their jobs and leaned heavily on the Medicaid system for health insurance. As they began working again, the Covid Medicaid provisions enabled them to remain on Medicaid,"

For individuals facing this scenario, Fong recommends taking immediate action.

Fong noted, "They often discover they've lost Medicaid when attempting to visit the doctor and learn they lack insurance. Our top advice is for those in this situation to promptly reach out to their state Medicaid agency, understand the reasons for the coverage loss, and reapply if they remain eligible."