Initial Data on Texans Removed from Medicaid Sets Off Alarm Bells
New state Medicaid data is setting off alarm bells for Texans who want to make sure that eligible kids keep their health coverage.
As reported by the Texas Tribune and other media outlets, the state recently released data on the first wave of Texans who either lost their Medicaid coverage or successfully renewed it as pandemic-era Medicaid rules came to an end this year.
We’re deeply concerned to see that 81 percent of disenrollments — representing over 400,000 Texans — were due to “procedural denials.” These denials could result from Medicaid sending paperwork to an old address; confusing paperwork that includes multiple deadlines or is not written in the family’s language; or families not completing all required steps.
In fact, after the data came out, the Dallas Morning News editorial board called on state leaders to "temporarily halt procedural denials and take extra steps to make sure that recipients get an actual eligibility review instead of relying on missed deadlines and other procedural mistakes to prune the rolls."
We’re also concerned that less than one percent of renewals were conducted through the “ex parte” or “administrative” renewal process, which proactively uses other data sources to renew eligible Texans. The abysmally low rate, which falls far behind other states, suggests that Texas is missing opportunities to cut down on unnecessary paperwork and avoid knocking eligible Texans off of health insurance.
You can read more about concerning signs in the data — and the steps state leaders should take — in the statements released by:
We look forward to working with state leaders and our partners to ensure that eligible Texans are able to keep their health coverage and Texans who are no longer eligible for Medicaid are able to transition smoothly to other programs, such as CHIP, Healthy Texas Women, and HealthCare.Gov.