Map Shows States Where People Are Being Removed From Health Care Plan

Newsweek

a day ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Nearly every U.S. state has seen a drop in Medicaid enrollment since the spring of 2023, when COVID-era health care provisions were first rolled back.
Only North Carolina has seen an increase in enrollment between March 2023 and January 2025, while South Dakota's Medicaid enrollment levels on average have remained the same.
Why It Matters
After federal health care provisions were expanded during the COVID pandemic, Medicaid enrollees have since been continuously pushed off the program as part of the "unwinding" process to roll back pandemic-era provisions.
During the three years of the pandemic, states paused Medicaid disenrollment, but after March 2023, they each re-started the process of overseeing and reviewing enrollees' eligibility for the program, meaning many have lost their health care coverage.
This could be due to a change in income but also because of paperwork errors, missed deadlines, or outdated contact information.
Health experts have warned about the impact the unwinding process can have on America's most vulnerable populations, such as worsening health outcomes, increasing costs in emergency care and many other issues.
What To Know
States' decline in Medicaid enrollment between March 2023 and January 2025 has been happening at varying rates.
Montana was the state with the sharpest drop, with Medicaid enrollment shrinking by 37 percent between March 2023 and January 2025.
Texas, Colorado and Utah were other states that saw Medicaid enrollment rates drop by more than 30 percent in the same time period.
California and Oregon saw much less significant changes to Medicaid coverage - seeing drops of less than 10 percent each.
While most states have seen a decrease in enrollment since the spring of 2023, overall, many have not yet had Medicaid enrollment rates return to pre-pandemic levels.
The unwinding process has resulted in millions of Americans losing their Medicaid coverage across the country—a total of around 16 million between March 2023 and January 2025.
What People Are Saying
Paul Shafer, a professor in health law, policy and management at Boston University, told Newsweek: "Nearly all states had already completed their unwinding by the end of 2024 so continued declines are concerning, especially when accelerating relative to months prior. Data on the uninsured rate hasn't quite caught up, bouncing between 7.7 and 8.5 percent from mid-2023 to September 2024. ACA Marketplace enrollment was up nearly 3 million for 2025 versus 2024 so some of those losing Medicaid are finding other coverage, but we know that many likely aren't. However, these coverage losses are only the beginning if the Medicaid cuts proposed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are passed. We would expect to see 7 to 11 million more Americans lose Medicaid and more hospital closures, particularly in rural areas."
He added: "Losing health insurance coverage can have both short and long-term impacts, from delayed care to not refilling prescriptions to later diagnoses of cancer and higher mortality rates—none of which we want to see. The underlying health needs won't go away and in fact will get worse if untreated, so we are risking a continued decline in life expectancy and further increasing the divide between have and have-nots when it comes to health. Safety net and rural hospitals also rely more on Medicaid payments than others, and if they close, everyone suffers, not just those on Medicaid."
What Happens Next
With new policies still being finalized and debated in Congress, changes to the Medicaid program and eligibility are expected to result in further disenrollment—with the Congressional Budget Office predicting more than 13 million Americans could lose their Medicaid coverage by 2034.