The End of the COVID Emergency Could Mean a Huge Loss of Health Insurance
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Now, as the pandemic’s acute phase seemingly draws to an end, millions of low-income and middle-income Americans are at risk of losing health insurance. The United States might see one of the steepest increases in the country’s uninsured rate in years.
When the federal COVID-19 public health emergency ends — as it is currently scheduled to on April 15, though it is likely to be extended — so will many of its associated insurance protections. That includes a rule forbidding states to kick anyone off Medicaid while COVID-19 raged, which came along with a 6.2-percentage-point boost in federal Medicaid funding to keep these most vulnerable patients insured.
Before the pandemic, [Read More]