As pandemic rules expire, 100K Minnesotans could lose health coverage

In the coming months, at least 100,000 Minnesotans could lose health insurance through Medicaid, as federal pandemic rules sunset — and that estimate from the state is thought to be at the lower end.

“It’s somewhat ironic, because this is the result of one of the very first acts that the federal government took at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that was to try to ensure that as many Americans as possible could get health care during this period,” said Peter Callaghan, who wrote about this in MinnPost.

To ensure more Americans were covered, the federal government told states to pause a monthly process checking whether people on Medicaid were still eligible.

The number of Minnesotans on Medicaid grew by 300,000 people. Now the state has to determine who is still eligible and end coverage for those who aren’t.

For more on this, read Callaghan’s story or click play on the audio player above.

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