Health Care — Presented by PCMA — Who loses coverage when COVID-19 emergency ends?

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View Online Health Care Health Care PRESENTED BY PCMA  The Big Story  Health care advocates zero in on who loses coverage when COVID-19 emergency ends As officials prepare to lift the public health emergency for COVID-19 in May, health care advocates are bracing for the millions of people who stand to lose coverage with the end of expanded Medicaid enrollment. © Getty The Commonwealth Fund released a report Thursday that found the continued Medicaid enrollment enacted near the start of the pandemic helped to shrink the rate of uninsured among Black and Hispanic adults, thereby reducing the coverage disparities between these groups and white adults.   These expansions will end on May 11, though states will have the option of beginning the process of unwinding these expanded enrollments beginning a month earlier.   As the Commonwealth Fund noted, Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately enrolled in Medicaid and are more likely to lose coverage when eligibility is redetermined.   While many people will likely no longer be eligible for Medicaid at that point, others who are still eligible may also lose their coverage.   A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) report noted that administrative barriers could prevent many eligible individuals from losing coverage. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) refers to this as "administrative churning," which is when enrollees struggle with the renewal process or states are unable to get in contact with them due to issues like changes of address.   As the KFF report noted, the shift away from expanded Medicaid enrollment will mean an unprecedented amount of work for state employees, who are in short supply these days.   "More than half of reporting states have staff vacancy rates greater than 10% for frontline eligibility workers (16 of 26 reporting states) and slightly less than half for call center staff (13 of 28 reporting states," the report stated.   Uninsured rates reached record lows during the pandemic, thanks in part to the expanded eligibility. Now an estimated 15 million to 18 million people could lose their health care coverage. As states begin the arduous process of transitioning back to pre-pandemic standards, the question remains if the U.S. can keep uninsured rates down. Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: DeSantis says he prevented 'Faucian dystopia' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday touted his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that his willingness to buck the advice of federal health officials in some of the darkest days of the outbreak prevented his state from becoming a "Faucian dystopia." "Florida, we played an important role over the last three years," DeSantis said at an event in Winter Haven, Fla. marking the three-year anniversary of the pandemic's onset. …  Full Story Maternal mortality rate rose again in 2021, hitting Black women hardest: report Maternal mortality rates for American women rose again in 2021, hitting Black women particularly hard, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There were 32.9 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2021, up from 23.8 in 2020 and 20.1 in 2019, per the CDC. Among Black women, the maternal mortality rate rose to 69.9, about 2.5 times that of both white and Hispanic …  Full Story Pfizer recalls millions of packs of migraine prescription drugs (WHTM) – Pfizer is recalling more than 4 million tablet packs of a prescription migraine treatment that do not meet child-resistant packaging requirements. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4.2 million Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) orally disintegrating 75 milligram tablets, packaged in eight-unit blister packs, lack the child-resistant packaging required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, creating a child poisoning risk.  Full Story On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The Urban Institute will be hosting a symposium focusing on health care inequities on March 21. A MESSAGE FROM PCMA Pharmacy benefit companies are committed to securing a more affordable health care future by increasing competition and through a robust biosimilar market that lowers drug costs for patients.    In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Here are the top 'Allergy Capitals' in the US March 20 marks the official start of spring, when flowers start to blossom and pollen starts to wreak havoc on people’s allergies. A new report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked the country’s 100 largest cities from least to most challenging for allergy sufferers. Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Trans youth in Florida can no longer start gender-affirming care, pushing families toward difficult decisions (The 19th News) Utah governor signs bill banning abortion clinics across the state (ABC News) Here's how Tennessee's health commissioner addressed shunned CDC grants for HIV prevention (The Tennessean) What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: FDA offers radio silence on question of spring Covid boosters, as other countries push ahead (Stat) The US remains a grim leader in preterm births. Why? And can we fix it? (Kaiser Health News) Why is it difficult for children to get a bed at pediatric hospitals? It's more complicated than you think (CNN) What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: French president raises retirement age without vote — Where does the issue stand in US? French President Emmanuel Macron raised the retirement age in France on Thursday, from 62 to 64, without waiting for a legislative vote. The move sparked … Read more Sen. Cassidy to Yellen at hearing: 'That's a lie'  Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) abruptly cut off Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at a hearing Thursday and declared, "That's a lie," when Yellen said that … Read more What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: FDA's healthy labeling needs to do more 'OK' isn't an acceptable answer for women's health in America The Hill event  Prescription for Change: Improving Competition to Lower Drug Prices — Watch Replay   Rising prescription drug prices are a major concern for many Americans. One in four patients in the U.S. face financial challenges affording their medications. The Hill brought together policymakers and leaders from across the health care ecosystem to discuss strategies for increasing biosimilar competition to lower drug prices and create a more affordable system for consumers, including Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), member of the Senate HELP Committee, and Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), member of the House Ways And Means Committee. Watch   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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