Human Services Roundtable: Tools for Unwinding the Public Health Emergency to Ensure Access to Health Coverage

A key policy change implemented under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), known as the maintenance of eligibility (MOE) requirement, established that to be eligible for enhanced federal Medicaid matching funds, states must ensure continuous coverage for those enrolled in Medicaid as of March 18, 2020, and cannot make eligibility and enrollment more restrictive than policies in place as of January 2020. This was further extended in later COVID relief legislation. While it’s difficult to establish the direct impact of this change on Medicaid caseloads, national Medicaid caseloads grew by 14.3% (9.2 million enrollees) from actual adjusted February 2020 to preliminary January 2021 data.

The implications for the end of the PHE on the management of state Medicaid caseloads are significant as CMS has issued clear guidance that demonstrates the importance of ensuring that Americans have the opportunity to maintain health coverage. State Agencies leaders will discuss how they are thinking about improving methods for engaging members, using data to target vulnerable populations and streamlining eligibility processes and offer thoughts about how the technology sector can assist them with this work.