Manatt Health Partner Cindy Mann and Senior Manager Adam Striar were quoted in MedCity News on how the pandemic-induced economic downturn has led a record number of Americans to seek health coverage from the government. The publication reported that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently revealed that more than 80 million Americans had health coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. “Medicaid is a countercyclical program, meaning enrollment typically grows during a downturn as more people qualify for and need Medicaid,” Mann explained.
Mann and Striar noted the demographic of the enrollees has also shifted as a result of the recession. Usually it is children, the elderly and blind and disabled individuals that make up the lion’s share of Medicaid enrollees, Striar detailed. But this time around enrollment hikes were seen among childless adults, parents and pregnant women, “reflecting considerable volatility in the labor market and many working-age adults losing earnings and access to employer-sponsored coverage,” he added.
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