The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is requiring 29 states and Washington, D.C. to pause procedural renewals for affected Medicaid populations after system issues improperly disenrolled eligible beneficiaries.
On Aug. 30, CMS warned states about a system issue regarding ex parte renewals, which conducted automatic renewals at the household level without regard for household members’ different eligibility statues and income thresholds.
The preliminary assessment found 30 states in violation, which reported which populations were affected and the estimated number of affected individuals. States will reinstate Medicaid eligibility for almost 500,000 children and adults.
During a Sept. 21 stakeholder call, CMS Deputy Director Daniel Tsai said that it might take states several months to fix this issue and will most likely extend their timelines to return to normal Medicaid operations. States are currently working to identify the precise number of children and adults affected by the renewal error. It is unclear how long Medicaid will be reinstated for this group before their eligibility is reassessed.
Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at rnelb@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
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