Medicaid is a state and federally-funded healthcare program for low-income individuals.
The late Houston news legend Marvin Zindler of ABC 13 (KTRK) would often say that it is hell to be poor.
While poor is a relative term, not having the necessities in life is something many can relate to, especially when it comes to healthcare for themselves and their loved-ones.
Many Americans rely on Medicaid for their medical needs.
However, many people who have relied on Medicaid for their doctor’s visits and medicine have lost their coverage because of not understanding the rules or because of government loopholes.
On Aug. 9, Medicaid advocates spoke to ethnic media leaders to dispel some myths about Medicaid and help educate people who have erroneously lost coverage for themselves and their children.
Furthermore, those advocates wanted to educate the general public on Medicaid and how crucial it is for many American families.
Some Medicaid facts:
- Medicaid was created in 1965.
- Each state has their own Medicaid agency.
- The federal and state governments share the cost of Medicaid programs.
- The federal government spends much more money on Medicaid than the states.
- The amount the federal government spends on a state’s Medicaid program depends on the income of the state.
- Poorer states receive more money for Medicaid from the federal government than richer states.
- Each state names their Medicaid agency uniquely.
- Medicare does not cover long-term support.
- 82 million people in the United States have Medicaid, which is free or low coast health insurance.
- Nearly half of Medicaid recipient are children.
- Approximately 23 million people, which includes 3 million children, will lose their Medicaid coverage because of unwinding related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Former President Donald Trump signed a bill that no one would lose coverage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Unwinding is a term for the resuming of annual Medicaid renewal reviews after the conclusion of continuous Medicaid coverage,
- Many children who have lost Medicaid are still eligible for Medicaid because many states made mistakes in unwinding.
- Medicaid advocates stressed the importance of parents seeing if their children lost coverage erroneously since school is starting up in many cities and states.
- Texas, California and Florida have lost most total Medicaid recipients, although percentage-wise California has not lost much.
- Percentage-wise, Texas is still high on the list of most people who have lost Medicaid coverage.
- 5 million children have lost Medicaid coverage as of July 31.
- Of that number, ¾ of those children should still be eligible for Medicaid coverage.
- States are currently checking people’s eligibility.
- It is important to educate pediatricians about the fact that many children who have lost coverage due to unwinding still qualify for Medicaid.
- Just because a parent loses their Medicaid, does not necessarily mean that their children do not qualify for Medicaid.
- Qualified immigrants have a five-year waiting period to receive Medicaid.
- People of color suffered deepest Medicaid losses.
- Around 2.7 million African-Americans lost Medicaid.
- Many who lost Medicaid say they never got a notice saying their coverage was expiring.
- In Texas, 29 percent of children receiving Medicaid lost their coverage.
- Young adults are the highest uninsured demographic.
- Half of 18–34-year-olds have chronic issues like obesity.
- 1/3 of young adults experience mental health challenges.
- An organization called Young Invincibles pushed to allow kids to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26.
On Dec. 14, 2023, Neelam Bohra of Texas Tribune reported, “Nearly 1.7 million Texans have lost their health insurance—the largest number of people any state has removed—in the months since Texas began peeling people from Medicaid as part of the post-pandemic ‘unwinding.’ Around 65% of these removals occurred because of procedural reasons, according to the state.
“Texas’ Health and Human Services Commission has neared the end of a chaotic and overburdened process to remove people from state Medicaid insurance who became eligible during the coronavirus pandemic. The state has not unenrolled people before this year because of federal pandemic rules, which forbid states from cutting coverage.
“As a result, more than 5 million Texans had continuous access to health care throughout the pandemic through Medicaid, the joint federal-and-state-funded insurance program for low-income individuals. In Texas, the program’s eligibility criteria is so restrictive, it mainly covers poor children, their mothers while pregnant and post partum, and disabled senior adults.”
