May 2023 – A report from the Center for Popular Democracy, People’s Action, and Make The Road detailing the challenges Medicaid and Medicaid enrollees face as the public health emergency ends. The report includes several recommendations for state action:
- Public health emergency unwinding
- Outreach to current enrollees
- Improving application and renewal process
- Expand Medicaid eligibility
- Expand health insurance to all residents regardless of immigration status
- Implement 12-month continuous eligibility regardless of changes in income
- Reduce wait times by hiring and training sufficient staff
- Make it easier to apply for Medicaid by implementing an “easy enrollment” program
- Make it easier to renew Medicaid by automating renewal systems, allowing self-attestation of some basic information about enrollees, and aligning renewals with SNAP
- Improve online enrollment/re-enrollment software
- Removing barriers to accessing health services through Medicaid
- Cover telehealth appointments
- Increase reimbursement rates for Medicaid providers
- Require providers to accept Medicaid as a condition of receiving state operating licenses
- Maintain an up-to-date and easily accessible list of providers who accept Medicaid
- Establish monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to make sure Medicaid providers do not discriminate against enrollees with disabilities, LGBTQ enrollees, non-citizen enrollees, and undocumented enrollees.
- Institute quality metrics and increase oversight of Medicaid sub-contractors
- Provide comprehensive coverage for dental, vision, mental and behavioral health, and physical therapy.