A coalition of healthcare organizations is urging the Arkansas Department of Human Services to look into the reasons for the recent spike in Medicaid terminations for state residents.
The coalition, which includes the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association, said in a statement last week that it is “deeply concerned” about the large number of Arkansans who have lost their health insurance coverage.
The coalition is calling on the state to conduct a thorough investigation into the reasons for the terminations and to take steps to ensure that all eligible Arkansans have access to Medicaid.
According to a report released last Monday by the Arkansas Department of Human Services, over 70,000 Arkansans lost Medicaid coverage in the first two months of the state’s redetermination of eligibility.
The American Cancer Society reported a large portion of people who lost their Medicaid coverage did so for “procedural reasons,” not because they were no longer eligible. The organization noted, “the high rate of procedural terminations is unacceptable and cause for alarm.”
The most common reasons for coverage loss were not receiving a notice from the state, failing to respond to a notice, or having mail returned as undeliverable, the ACS said in the statement.
The coalition, which also includes the American Diabetes Association, the American Lung Association, the National Health Council, the March of Dimes, and Susan G. Komen — calls “…on the state to pause the redetermination process and conduct a thorough analysis of the issues that are preventing Arkansans from receiving and completing their paperwork.”
They also call on the state “to use every tool and process available to confirm that those losing coverage are no longer eligible.”
Read the report by the Arkansas Department of Human Services by clicking here.
Read the complete statement from the American Cancer Society by clicking here.
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