pennsylvania medicaid eligibility

Medicaid needs a better ‘normal’ in Pa.

Originally published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

This month, Medicaid is finally returning to normal — but “normal” was never that great. Currently, an estimated 600,000 ineligible Pennsylvanians — many of whom are able-bodied, working-age adults — receive taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits. Temporary pandemic provisions that prohibited states from regularly reviewing Medicaid eligibility expired this month, giving Pennsylvania the opportunity to shore up its Medicaid program and fix even pre-pandemic issues.

Medicaid was never intended to be a catch-all health care program. It was designed to provide care for the most vulnerable. State reforms should focus on ensuring that Medicaid resources are preserved for those that need it the most.

The good news is that the administrative change happening this month begins to do just that. On April 1, Pennsylvania began redetermining Medicaid eligibility for nearly 3.7 million residents after a three-year hiatus from regular eligibility renewals.

Read more in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review