NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE JOINS 227 ORGANIZATIONS TO SEND LETTER TO HHS SECRETARY
AS MEDICAID COVERAGE CONTINUES TO UNWIND
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 25, 2023) – Today, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial joined UnidosUS and other health and human rights organizations in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra asking to secure Medicaid coverage for millions of families as unwinding period continues:
“Unprecedented Medicaid terminations, focused on historically disadvantaged communities, would deepen already severe health inequities that exist should the unwinding period continue,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “We urge Secretary Becerra and the Biden Administration to preserve health care coverage for millions of families before it is too late.”
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed legislation to provide additional financial resources to state and territory Medicaid programs to protect access to health insurance for vulnerable, low-income Americans. These continuous coverage protections ensured that no one could be disenrolled from Medicaid during the public health emergency. As a result, more than 90 million low-income people are now enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. This coverage has guaranteed beneficiaries access to quality, affordable health insurance during the public health emergency. As of April 1st, this requirement has ended, putting millions of eligible families at risk of losing coverage due to paperwork requirements and red tape.
“We remain concerned that unwinding could cause the largest Medicaid losses in history, with disproportionate harm experienced by communities of color, mothers, and children,” organization leaders wrote. “To prevent a civil rights and health equity disaster, we urge you to make the strongest possible use of the powers recently granted by Congress for holding states accountable to preserve eligible families’ health care.”
The letter outlines four recommendations that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should consider avoiding to prevent a tidal wave of paperwork terminations from ending health care for millions of eligible families.
To read the original letter, click here.