The Medicaid MOE is tied to the Public Health Emergency (PHE) and the ARPA’s enhanced Marketplace subsidies are currently set to expire at the end of 2022. Of particular note, the ARPA guarantees the lowest income Marketplace enrollees have access to zero (or near-zero) dollar premium plans with very low deductibles.īoth the Medicaid MOE and the ARPA’s enhanced Marketplace subsidies are temporary and could end this year, potentially resulting in coverage loss. Additionally, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 expanded and enhanced ACA Marketplace subsidies by lowering the monthly premium enrollees are expected to pay and by extending subsidies to middle-income people who were previously ineligible for help but often priced out of the market. To prevent Medicaid coverage losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) of 2020 increased the federal share of most Medicaid spending on the condition that states meet certain maintenance of eligibility (MOE) requirements, including pausing Medicaid disenrollment. But, for the first time in an economic downturn, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was in place as a safety net, including expanded Medicaid eligibility in the 38 states and the District of Columbia that have opted for it, plus premium assistance in the ACA’s insurance Marketplaces.īuilding on ACA coverage options, Congress acted earlier in the pandemic to provide continuous coverage for Medicaid enrollees in exchange for enhanced federal matching funds and to temporarily increase ACA Marketplace subsidies. With the COVID-19 pandemic came millions of job losses.
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