| May 5, 2023

Resources for States on Unwinding the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirement

State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS) developed this resource page to serve as an accessible one-stop source of information for states in “unwinding” the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) Medicaid continuous coverage requirement allowed people to retain Medicaid coverage and get needed care during the pandemic. On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA), an omnibus funding package that decoupled the continuous coverage provision from the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency by providing a fixed end date of March 31, 2023. The CAA also includes a gradual phase down of the enhanced federal match rate and new guardrails to prioritize coverage retention and smooth coverage transitions during the unwinding.

While most people will continue to be eligible for Medicaid or Marketplace coverage, the potential for loss of coverage for millions of Americans due to “administrative” reasons is significant, and Black, Latino(a) and other people of color will be most at risk. These resources are designed to support states during this major coverage event, including developing processes that prioritize coverage retention.

As states operationalize unwinding, SHVS is tracking the work states are engaged in through the series States of Unwinding which aims to showcase strategies that other states may be interested in adopting and highlight how states are leveraging federal flexibilities.

SHVS will update this page frequently with new resources as they become available.

SHVS Resources and Tools

SHVS technical assistance resources on the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement

Please click on the links below to access topic-specific resources.

Health Equity
Data/IT Eligibility and Enrollment Policy/Operations Consumer Communications and Outreach
Oversight and Monitoring Medicaid and Marketplace Integration Federal Resources

 

 

Expert Perspectives

June 8, 2023

State Reporting to Monitor the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirement

The unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement represents the largest nationwide coverage transition since the Affordable Care Act, with significant health equity implications. Given the intense focus on coverage transitions during the unwinding, some states are publishing their data to monitor progress. To date, 23 states and the District of Columbia have released unwinding data in either an interactive dashboard or static pdf format, or are making public their required CMS Monthly Unwinding Data reports. This expert perspective includes an interactive map with links to state dashboards and reports to CMS. SHVS will continue to update this EP as more states publish their unwinding data.

June 2, 2023

Communications Recommendations for Medicaid Agencies to Help Identify and Report Scams

As states continue the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement and redetermining their enrollees, states across the country have reported scams asking consumers for financial or personal information are prevalent. This expert perspective provides recommendations on what state communications and digital teams can do to mitigate online scams and protect official sources of information.