How State Medicaid Are Approaching Eligibility, Enrollment & Renewals, During & After the Unwinding

With end of the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous enrollment policy on March 31, 2023, states resumed disenrollments that had been paused for three years. Since April 2023, nearly 23 million people have been disenrolled nationally, though the share of people who have been disenrolled varies across states. Differences in how states approached the unwinding and in the renewal policies and procedures they had in place contributed to the variation in state unwinding experiences.
On June 20, 2024, KFF hosted an hour-long web briefing focused on changes to eligibility policies, renewal processes, and other actions states took during the unwinding and the impact those changes may have on the future of the Medicaid program. State and federal Medicaid experts shared their experiences during the unwinding and plans for the months and years ahead.
Moderator and Speakers
Robin Rudowitz moderated this briefing and Jennifer Tolbert and Tricia Brooks co-presented findings from KFF’s 22nd annual survey of state Medicaid and CHIP programs officials on eligibility, enrollment, and renewal policies, conducted with Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families in March 2024.
- Robin Rudowitz, a vice president at KFF and director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured
- Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of KFF’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured and director of State Health Reform
- Tricia Brooks, research professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families
A panel of federal and state experts joined to provide their perspectives:
- Jessica Stephens, senior policy advisor, Office of the Center Director, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Patrick Beatty, Deputy Director of the Department of Medicaid, Ohio
- Emma Sandoe, Deputy Director of Medicaid Policy, North Carolina