After COVID-19 Emergency Expires, Medicaid’s Loss Could Be Employer Plans’ Gain
If the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) expires in April 2023, about 18 million Medicaid enrollees could lose their coverage over the following 14 months, an Urban Institute analysis projected. Among them, about 9.5 million people could transition to employer-sponsored insurance, 3.2 million could move to Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage, and 3.8 million could become uninsured. If the PHE were extended for an additional quarter, the number of people losing coverage could rise to nearly 19 million. The PHE is set to last at least through January, as the Biden administration is concerned about the potential of a winter wave of COVID infections.