Dec 20, 2022 - Health

Medicaid enrollment to top 100 million

Tina Reed

The US Department of Health and Human Services building is seen in Washington, D.C. — The Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington, D.C. Photo: Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images

The number of Americans on Medicaid is expected to surpass 100 million as early as next month, according to a new projection from the Foundation for Government Accountability.

Why it matters: The record uninsured rate — achieved through both ACA subsidies and Medicaid expansion — has been a point of pride for the Biden administration, particularly in light of stark health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic.

Yes, but: The right-leaning think tank FGA points out, the record Medicaid enrollment means nearly 1 in 3 Americans will be on the federal government's rolls.

State of play: Under the COVID public health emergency, the state Medicaid agencies are required to continue health care coverage for all medical assistance programs, even if someone's eligibility changes.

Per the Kaiser Family Foundation, enrollment in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program has increased in every state since the start of the pandemic.

According to an FGA projection, there are about 98 million people on Medicaid with at least 21 million of those enrollees earning too much money to qualify.

KFF estimates between 5.3 million and 14.2 million Medicaid enrollees could be disenrolled after the end of the health emergency and its continuous enrollment requirement.

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Medicaid enrollment to top 100 million

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