Texas and Florida alone account for more than 1 million of the children who have lost coverage. The total decline for adults and children due to the “unwinding” process is now at approximately 7.8 million, the analysis found.
When the Biden administration allowed states to begin the unwinding process, officials estimated about 15 million people would lose coverage. Since the process started April 1, the U.S. is more than halfway to that mark.
Separately, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra sent letters Monday to governors of nine states that had the highest numbers of kids losing coverage — Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas.
Becerra said he was “alarmed” by the numbers, and urged the states to take advantage of dozens of federal strategies and policies HHS has put forward, as well as the 400 state flexibilities the agency has approved to make re-enrollment easier — including expanding Medicaid.
The 10 states that have not expanded have disenrolled more children than the 41 expansion states and D.C. combined, HHS said.
“I urge you to ensure that no eligible child in your state loses their health insurance due to ‘red tape’ or other bureaucratic barriers during the Medicaid enrollment process,” Becerra wrote.
Some people who lose coverage end up moving to private insurance plans or the Affordable Care Act exchange, but the full impact won’t be known until more data is available.
