Mississippi Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Returns to Pre-Pandemic Levels

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment surged by nearly 190,000 residents, a 26% increase, during COVID-19. The end of a COVID-era law, which prevented states from checking income eligibility for three years, has seen Medicaid enrollment fall to near pre-pandemic levels.

In March 2020, the federal government enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which included a “continuous coverage” policy. This policy stopped states from removing people from Medicaid, regardless of income changes during the pandemic. In return, the federal government increased the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) by 6.2%.

“I would say the financial benefit of the FMAP increase outweighed the additional cost of the 26% enrollment growth during the pandemic,” said Drew Snyder, Executive Director of the Mississippi Division of Medicaid.

End of “Continuous Coverage” and Enrollment Decline

As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress set March 31, 2023, as the deadline to end “continuous coverage.” States began checking eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP enrollment again on April 1, 2023. This process, known as “unwinding,” is happening nationwide.

Two primary categories of ineligible individuals are being disenrolled: those who make too much income and those who do not return renewal paperwork.

Before the pandemic, 716,896 Mississippi residents received Medicaid or CHIP benefits. At the pandemic’s peak, nearly 904,700 people were enrolled. Today, that number is 718,028.

During the unwinding period, about 45,000 young adults aged out of CHIP benefits. Additionally, pregnant women maintained on the Medicaid rolls until March 2023 contributed to the enrollment spike.

In 2023, the Mississippi Legislature extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to one year.

Disenrollment vs. Lack of Coverage

“There is a difference between losing insurance coverage and no longer qualifying for Medicaid,” Snyder noted. Some individuals who lost Medicaid found employer-sponsored insurance or coverage through the ACA exchange.

Mississippi’s Medicaid Division has added online renewals and communication via email and text messaging to improve coverage awareness and retention.

Magnolia Tribune first published this article, and it is republished here under a Creative Commons license.