JEFFERSON CITY — More than 190,000 low-income Missourians lost their government-paid health insurance in 2023 as part of a post-pandemic review of the state’s Medicaid rolls.
Figures released this month covering the launch of the review show that more than 90,000 of those were children.
But, Kim Evans, director of the Missouri Department of Social Services family support division, said a crush of new applications for coverage under the means the overall number receiving coverage is holding steady at more than 1.4 million Missourians.
“We are seeing brand-new individuals coming to us,†Evans said Friday.
As of Jan. 26, there were 309,715 adults in the program, which was expanded to include low-income adults by Missouri voters in 2020.
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The updated numbers come as states continue to assess the eligibility of every Medicaid participant after being barred from dropping enrollees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The process, which began in June, attempts to determine if people are making too much money to qualify or whether they have moved out of state.
According to KFF Health News, over 14 million individuals across the U.S. have been dropped from coverage.
Evans said a final round of notifications will go out in March with an eye on completing the renewal process by May 31.
“We feel like we’re in good shape,†Evans said. “The process has been flowing really nicely.â€
Through December, more than 12,000 residents of the city of ºüÀêÊÓƵ lost coverage, while ºüÀêÊÓƵ County saw 24,000 residents removed from the program in 2023, according to data released by Gov. Mike Parson’s administration.
Enrollees have 90 days after termination to submit required paperwork for reconsideration and to be reinstated if eligible. After 90 days, they need to fill out a new application to be enrolled.
The process of reviewing all recipients’ eligibility has been rocky for many Medicaid participants. Some renewal forms have been lost in the mail. Others have miscalculated income levels. Waiting times on phones have been lengthy.
In December, the department said waiting times to process applications had risen 160%, from 14 days to 36 days. Federal rules require the state to process applications within a 45-day window.
Evans said the current processing backlog has risen to 49 days, primarily due to the surge in new applications during an open enrollment period that ended in mid-January.
“We always have a backlog at this time,†Evans said. “We should have that under control by March.â€