Editorial: Slamming shut the Medicaid and CHIP continuous enrollment door

The people who can least afford it are about to experience the blatant cruelty of a disappearing helping hand.

The coronavirus pandemic prompted the Families First Coronavirus Act. In addition to things such as paid covid sick leave and testing, it also addressed additional SNAP benefits and continuous enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP coverage for people who might otherwise have changes in eligibility.

The reason was the unsteady nature of income during the crisis and the critical importance of medical coverage for the vulnerable poor and children. In Pennsylvania, that translated to 3.6 million in the Medicaid program alone.

The end of the pandemic response means an April 1 end of that continuous enrollment, with recipients required to requalify.

It was going to have to happen eventually. A program that has boundaries and lines and rules — and costs millions of dollars — cannot spiral out eternally.

But, as with other programs meant to ease the financial impacts of pandemic income problems, that comes with complications. Like the eviction moratorium and the pause in utility shutoffs, the temporary relief is followed by the inevitability of a bill come due.

For those covered by Medicaid and CHIP, that could mean a considerable number of people no longer qualify for the programs that give them access to life-sustaining or life-saving care.

In Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, 15% of the population is on Medicaid, while another 9% are children on CHIP. Nationwide, the number of people covered grew by 27.9% since February 2020. As many as 15 million people could lose coverage after April 1, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

There will be other alternatives. Some Medicaid families might be able to get their kids coverage through CHIP. Those who no longer qualify for either program could use the state’s insurance marketplace, Pennie.

The problem with that is the cost of the change in premiums or copays that looks incremental on paper can be incredible when it comes amid other real-world costs.

It isn’t that making the move in March 2020 was wrong. It was necessary at the time. But government has to get better at transitioning from opening a door to slamming it shut.

Especially when there are kids on the other side.