Continuous Eligibility And Coverage Policies Expanded Children’s Medicaid Enrollment
OFH Contributors
Key Takeaways
States that adopted continuous Medicaid coverage for children during the COVID-19 pandemic saw larger increases in children’s enrollment than states that already had such policies.
This “continuous coverage” approach, which lets children stay enrolled without frequent paperwork checks, helped keep more kids insured when families faced economic and health stressors.
The findings suggest that making it easier to stay insured can improve stability in public health coverage, especially during times of crisis.
Executive Summary
Introduction
Public health insurance through Medicaid helps millions of children in the United States get medical care. However, families can lose coverage when children’s eligibility must be re-verified every few months, a process known as “churn.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal policy encouraged states to adopt continuous coverage, meaning children stayed insured for a full year regardless of short-term changes in family income or household circumstances. This study compared children’s Medicaid enrollment trends in states that newly adopted continuous coverage during the pandemic with those that already had continuous eligibility policies to see whether expanding stability in coverage mattered.
Main Findings
- States that newly implemented continuous coverage during the pandemic saw a noticeable increase in children’s Medicaid enrollment compared with states that already had continuous eligibility in place.
- As of March 2021, this translated into a relative increase of about 4.6 % in enrollment, which amounted to more than 655,000 additional children being covered in the 26 states that expanded continuous coverage.
- Because continuous coverage removes the need for frequent eligibility checks, it likely helped families maintain health insurance for their children during an economically and socially disruptive time.
Conclusion
The study shows that simplifying Medicaid rules by guaranteeing continuous coverage for children can significantly boost and stabilize enrollment, especially during periods of economic hardship like the COVID-19 pandemic. Policies that reduce administrative hurdles not only keep more kids insured but may also improve children’s access to preventive and routine care. These results highlight the potential health and social benefits of making Medicaid easier to navigate for families.