Analysis of Recent National Trends in Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment

(By Robin Rudowitz, Bradley Corallo, and Samantha Artiga for Kaiser Family Foundation)

This data note looks at national and state-by-state Medicaid and CHIP preliminary enrollment data through May 2020, as states were still in the early stages of experiencing the health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Data show that after declines in enrollment from December 2017 through December 2019, total enrollment grew to 73.5 million in May, an increase of 0.8 million from April 2020 (1%) and 2.3 million from February (3.2%), right before the pandemic. (Figure 1) These early data suggest that recent increases in enrollment may be reversing previous trends of flat or negative enrollment growth. These trends likely reflect changes in the economy (as more people experience income and job loss and become eligible and enroll in Medicaid coverage) and provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) that require states to ensure continuous coverage to current Medicaid enrollees to access a temporary increase in the Medicaid match rate. Because Medicaid enrollment may lag behind increases in unemployment, data for subsequent periods will likely show continued enrollment growth.  Continue reading here…

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