Kyle McHenry, a Florida resident, was anxious about losing his family’s Medicaid coverage following a surgery and his son’s ongoing cancer treatment. Although one of the state’s websites indicated that Medicaid coverage for his son, Ryder, had been denied, another suggested that the family would retain coverage through next year. Meanwhile, a letter from Florida stated that McHenry’s increasing income would make him ineligible for Medicaid after the end of the month. After spending six frustrating hours on hold with Florida’s Department of Children and Families, the McHenrys learned that most of their family members were losing Medicaid coverage. Ryder was the only exception due to his illness. This situation is among the first casualties of an unprecedented nationwide review that will remove people with incomes that are now too high for Medicaid. Advocacy groups warned about confusion and mistakes leaving the poorest citizens without necessary medical care. Medicaid enrollees are being involuntarily dropped out of the program in states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Dakota. Legal Aid of Arkansas attorney Trevor Hawkins admitted that the notices are misleading, and the process is hard to understand for low-income individuals. The federal government required states to submit data on their call wait times and abandonment rates last year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will try to support states where wait times are particularly long. Adelante Healthcare’s small chain of community clinics in Phoenix is calling families they believe are at risk of losing Medicaid, while pediatricians are educating parents on the process. Celaya, a Phoenix waitress, was told by Adelante Healthcare that she and her children would lose Medicaid coverage later this year. The clinic is assisting her in finding private health insurance and determining if her children are eligible for the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program.
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