During an appearance on KARK Channel 4’s Capitol View, Rep. Mary Bentley, R-Perryville, and Sen. Fred Love, D-Mabelvale, spoke about upcoming changes to Medicaid.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, former President Donald Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which stopped states from disenrolling Medicaid recipients, while the public health emergency was in effect.
Through an appropriations bill at the end of last year, Congress ended the public health emergency, which will require states to disenroll Medicaid recipients who were eligible for coverage as a result of COVID-era regulations.
Bentley said the House committee for Public Health, Welfare and Labor has taken steps to help the state handle disenrollment.
“We are making sure that our providers are getting the word out as much as possible that this is going to happen and it’s on the horizon and to get prepared,” she said. “We’re trying the best that we can. The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) is more prepared.”
Bentley said DHS having improved technology will help them handle the disenrollment process.
During the pandemic, the Trump administration also increased how much states were reimbursed for Medicaid, which will also end. Love said this won’t cause issues to the state’s budget.
“Our Medicaid trust fund should be fine. We may need additional funds but our surplus will be able to cover that,” he said.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the federal government pays for 81.5% of the state’s Medicaid program, while the state pays the rest.
During a Rural Health Association of Arkansas conference last week, David Mantz, CEO of Dallas County Medical Center in Fordyce, said hospitals won’t turn away patients who lost their Medicaid coverage, according to Talk Business & Politics. He explained this would lead to hospitals providing more uncompensated care.
According to DHS, it is estimated 15% to 30% of Arkansans will be disenrolled from Medicaid. For those who are disenrolled from Medicaid then Medicare, the Health Insurance Marketplace operated by the federal government and employer-sponsored coverage will be possible avenues to continue health insurance coverage.
Gov. Sarah Sanders, Republican, has said there is a possibility a special session could be called to address Medicaid. Bentley said if a special session is called to address healthcare, she also wants it to address the nursing shortage.
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