The current Medicaid continuous coverage requirement enacted by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) prohibits states from disenrolling individuals from Medicaid for the duration of the public health emergency (PHE) as a condition of accessing enhanced federal Medicaid funding. The PHE is currently in effect through July 14, 2022, and is expected to be extended further.

When the PHE does end, state Medicaid agencies will undertake the massive task of redetermining eligibility for nearly every Medicaid-enrolled person in the country—as many as 80 million enrollees. This undertaking has significant health equity implications, as communities of color are expected to be disproportionately impacted by the unwinding effort.

In “Ensuring Continuity of Coverage and Care for High Need Enrollees When the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Ends: Medicaid Strategies,” an expert perspective prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program, Manatt Health describes strategies state Medicaid agencies can use to identify people with high health needs and provide them with additional support to retain or transition their health coverage in order to maintain access to essential health care services.

To read the full expert perspective, click here.