Over 500,000 fewer Ohioans are benefiting from public health care than two years ago, thanks to the expiration of COVID-era safeguards on coverage.
According to the health care research firm KFF, the number of those enrolled in Medicaid and the associated Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Ohio has fallen from over 3.4 million to under 2.9 million between March 2023 and October 2024.
Why It Matters
The 16 percent decline in Ohio in less than two years is consistent with drops seen across the country since the start of the nationwide “unwinding process” that began following the end of the public health emergency.
Although Ohio still has significantly more residents enrolled in the two programs than before the pandemic, the recent drop is concerning, as research indicates that many have lost coverage due to procedural issues rather than ineligibility.
What To Know
From February 2020 to March 2023, a “continuous enrollment” provision in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act prohibited states from conducting Medicaid redetermination. As a result, enrolled individuals may be able to keep their coverage without having to complete regular eligibility reviews.
As a result, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment in Ohio increased from just under 2.6 million to more than 3.4 million by the end of the provision, a 32% increase that mirrors the national trend.
While some of the 500,000 people removed from Ohio’s programs were likely deemed ineligible, research shows that many lost coverage due to circumstances beyond their control.
KFF surveys revealed that many people were unaware of the consequences of the unwinding process, such as whether states would automatically remove them and what steps they needed to take to keep their coverage.
KFF has also raised the issue of “procedural” disenrollments, in which individuals may have been eligible for public health care but were denied due to administrative errors, delays in receiving renewal notices, or problems with form processing.
Ohio was also one of nine states to receive a letter from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in late 2023, expressing concern about the high rates of child disenrollment.
The agency conducted an audit of Ohio’s redetermination process, which was published in 2024, and estimated that Ohio had incorrectly renewed or terminated approximately 6% of Medicaid enrollees.
What People Are Saying
After conducting an audit of the state’s unwinding process, the HHS Office of Inspector General concluded in 2024 that “Ohio generally completed Medicaid eligibility actions during the unwinding period in accordance with federal and state requirements.”
What Happens Next
As a result of the coverage increases that occurred during the pandemic, KFF discovered that approximately 11% more Ohioans are now enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP than before February 2020.
Ohio, like all states, has nearly completed its unwinding process. As a result, KFF informed Newsweek that it will no longer update its Medicaid and CHIP disenrollment numbers.
