New Study Compares Ways to Reduce Medicaid Enrollment “Churning”
<p>Because eligibility for Medicaid is determined by a person’s current monthly income, many beneficiaries temporarily lose their coverage when seasonal employment or overtime pay increases—only to later requalify when income dips. This “churning” in enrollment causes disruptions in care and places heavy administrative burdens on states and Medicaid managed care plans.</p><p>In a new <em>Health Affairs</em> article, Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers Katherine Swartz, Pamela Short, Deborah Graefe, and Namrata Uberoi compare the potential of four policy options to reduce Medicaid churning. One option—extending coverage until the end of the calendar year—was found to reduce churning by 78 percent and virtually eliminate administrative burdens.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2015/jul/new-study-compares-ways-to-reduce-medicaid-enrollment-churning Read the study