Why Millions of Kids Lost Their Health Insurance

When the Covid public health emergency ended, the U. S. government required states to re-evaluate Medicaid eligibility. This led to a massive shake-up, with over 25 million people losing coverage. Many kids, like Isabella Quintana, were dropped due to paperwork issues. Isabella's family had to pay $1, 100 for a follow-up appointment and waited to take her to the ER when she had a fever. Her parents are still waiting for her Medicaid to be restored, five months later. Dr. Laura Luzietti from Every Child Pediatrics says this isn’t uncommon. She has seen many families face similar problems. The problem is even worse in states like Texas, Utah, Colorado, and Florida, where many children lost coverage. The paperwork backlog caused by the "unwinding" process is still affecting kids like Isabella. Kim Bimestefer, who oversees Colorado’s Medicaid program, says it's heartbreaking and the state is working hard to fix it. But for many families, the changes are not happening fast enough. Some kids are missing out on important care like speech therapy and immunizations. Desiree Wines' son Jibreel, who has autism, lost his Medicaid coverage suddenly. His in-home therapies were canceled, and he had to wait months to get his coverage back. The Biden administration says the system is broken, and states have different outcomes because of their choices. Healthcare providers worry that cutting care for kids now will lead to bigger problems in the future.