During the 2024 open enrollment for healthcare coverage, more than 21.4 million people enrolled in qualified private health plans (QHPS) through the Marketplaces (exchanges) across the country. This represented a 31% increase compared to the previous record set in 2023, when 16.4 million people signed up for the Marketplace’s QHPS.
One of the key reasons behind the increase in enrollments for 2024 is due to Medicaid cancellations that were reactivated in 2023 after a three-year suspension during the pandemic. As of April 2023, states began to reactivate enrollment cancellations, and all states have been working on reviewing the eligibility of people enrolled in Medicaid.
As of April 19, 2024, Medicaid/CHIP enrollments had been canceled for more than 20.3 million people. Some of these people have migrated into employer-sponsored coverage or have re-enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. However, others have opted for replacement coverage through the Insurance Marketplaces.
According to the CMS data (for HealthCare.gov and the state Marketplaces), more than 3.4 million people who had Medicaid/CHIP in March 2023 or a more recent month had enrolled in the Marketplace’s Qualified Health Plans (QHPS) by the end of December. In addition, more than 257,000 people had signed up for BHP’s coverage.
Of the approximately 3.4 million QHP members who made the transition, they account for about two-thirds of the approximately 5.1 million additional enrollments in the Marketplace for 2024 compared to 2023. Although not everyone who migrated from Medicaid to the Marketplace in 2023 maintained their Marketplace coverage during 2024, the withdrawal of Medicaid is considered as one of the main drivers of the increase in enrollments for 2024.
Why Are Millions Being Disenrolled From Medicaid?
A significant segment of the enrollment growth for 2024 occurred among low-income enrollees, some of whom may have been excluded from Medicaid due to an increase in their income above the eligibility limits. For applicants with household incomes between 100% and 150% of the poverty level, enrollments were more than 54% higher in 2024 than in the 2023 Marketplace plans.
At the upper end of the income spectrum, enrollment was about 9% higher in 2024 than in 2023 for enrollees with household incomes above 400% of the poverty level. Full details of tuition by income ranges can be found in the statewide public use archives for 2023 and 2024.
What to Do if I Got Disenrolled From Medicaid?
Since April 2023, with the official end of the pandemic, states have been reviewing the eligibility of Medicaid beneficiaries, and that has triggered thousands of people now disenrolled from their healthcare coverage.
You can apply for coverage through the Marketplace if you no longer qualify for Medicaid. You may still be eligible for subsidized plans through the Affordable Care Act Insurance Marketplace (https://www.healthcare.gov/). Although the Marketplace open enrollment period has ended, there is a special enrollment period if you lose Medicaid coverage.
Furthermore, you can explore state programs, according to your place of residence: Some states offer additional health insurance programs for low-income residents who do not qualify for Medicaid. Contact your state’s Medicaid agency or health department to find out what options might be available to you.
Free and charitable clinics offer basic medical services to uninsured and underinsured patients. You can find clinics in your area by searching online or by calling your local health department.
List of charities and NGOs that help people disenrolled from Medicaid in 2024:
- National Health Law Center: https://healthlaw.org/
- Kaiser Family Foundation: https://www.kff.org/
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP): https://www.medicaid.gov/chip/index.html
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): https://www.nami.org/
- The Legal Aid Society: https://legalaidnyc.org/
Organizations That Offer Healthcare Assistance by State
- Alabama Appleseed: https://alabamaappleseed.org/
- Alaska Disability Law Center: https://www.dlcak.org/
- Arizona Children’s Action Alliance: https://azchildren.org/
- Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families: https://www.aradvocates.org/
- California Health Advocates: https://cahealthadvocates.org/news/cha/
- Colorado Coalition for the Uninsured: https://cohealthinitiative.org/
- Connecticut Health I-Care: https://www.connecticutchi.com/
- Delaware Health Justice Alliance: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/health-justice-alliance/
- DC Health Link, District of Columbia: https://app.dchealthlink.com/login
- Florida Health Justice Center: https://www.floridahealthjustice.org/
- Georgia Advocacy & Legal Services: https://www.georgialegalaid.org/organization/georgia-legal-services-program-13
- Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice: https://hiappleseed.org/our-mission
- Idaho Legal Aid Services: https://www.idaholegalaid.org/
- Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Illinois: https://www.povertylaw.org/
- Indiana Legal Services: https://www.indianalegalservices.org/about/
- Iowa Legal Aid: https://www.iowalegalaid.org/resource/applying-for-help-from-iowa-legal-aid
- Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice: https://www.kansasappleseed.org/
- Kentucky Appleseed: https://www.appleseeds.org/
- Louisiana Health Law Institute: https://lphi.org/
- Pine Tree Legal Assistance: https://www.ptla.org/pine-tree-services
- Maryland Disability Law Center: https://baltimorecounty.md.networkofcare.org/mh/services/agency.aspx?pid=marylanddisabilitylawcentermdlcbaltimorecounty_2_673_1
- Massachusetts Health Law Project: https://chlpi.org/project/public-health-in-massachusetts/
- Michigan Legal Aid: https://michiganlegalhelp.org/
- Greater Minnesota Legal Aid: https://mylegalaid.org/
- Mississippi Center for Justice: https://mscenterforjustice.org/
- Legal Services of Eastern Missouri: https://lsem.org/
- Montana Legal Services Association: https://www.mtlsa.org/
- Nebraska Appleseed: https://neappleseed.org/
- Nevada Legal Aid Center: https://www.lacsn.org/
- New Hampshire Legal Assistance: https://www.nhlegalaid.org/
- New Jersey Citizen Action: https://www.njcitizenaction.org/
- New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty: https://www.nmpovertylaw.org/ our-work/health-care
- Legal Aid Society of New York: https://legalaidnyc.org/
- North Carolina Justice Center: https://ncjustice.org/
- North Dakota Legal Aid: https://www.ndla.org/
- Ohio Legal Aid Services: https://medicaid.ohio.gov/
- Oklahoma Medicaid: https://oklahoma.gov/ohca.html
- Oregon Health Justice Project: https://www.oregonhealthjusticecenter.org/
- Pennsylvania Health Law Project: https://www.phlp.org/en/
- Rhode Island Legal Services: https://www.helprilaw.org/topics/41/medicaid
- South Carolina Appleseed Legal Education Fund: https://www.scjustice.org/
- South Dakota Legal Services: https://dhs.sd.gov/
- Tennessee Justice Center: https://tnjustice.org/
- Texas Legal Services Center: https://tlc.org/
- Utah Legal Aid: https://www.utahlegalservices.org/topics/11/medicaid
- Vermont Legal Aid: https://vtlawhelp.org/medicaid
- Virginia Legal Aid Society: https://www.vlas.org/
- Washington Health Benefit Exchange: https://www.wahbexchange.org/
- West Virginia Center on Law & Poverty: https://www.splcenter.org/states/west-virginia
- Wisconsin Legal Aid Society: https://wi.freelegalanswers.org/
- Wyoming Equality: https://www.wyomingequality.org/
