TDMR received notification of a new report from Texas HHS on the End of Continuous Medicaid Coverage in Texas.
The upshot for children who were under Medicaid coverage during the public health emergency (PHE) is that, at present, some 999,524 children have lost coverage due to some procedural reason with their redetermination, not because they were ineligible. Another 339,289 were found not to qualify.
According to the report, “Procedural denials occur when HHSC doesn’t have enough information to determine if the recipient is eligible for Medicaid coverage. In most cases, the recipient failed to return a renewal packet or provide requested information. Coverage is recertified for eligible Medicaid recipients if they provide the requested information within 90 days of the last day of the last benefit month their coverage was terminated. A renewal form returned within the reconsideration period serves as an application, and application timeliness standards apply.”
Adding up the figures, there are now only 1,422,471 children under 18 currently covered by Medicaid in Texas as opposed to the 2,956,641 that were covered during the PHE.
This means that 52% are no longer covered at this time.
No wonder dental Medicaid providers have seen a significant drop in client appointments excerbating the crisis in staffing and inflation.