Thousands of Utahns are losing their Medicaid coverage unnecessarily and are still eligible for it. National data shows Utah's rate of procedural closures is twice the national average.
SALT LAKE CITY — An advisory committee made of Medicaid beneficiaries, community organizations and health care providers has expressed concerns about how the state is executing its "unwinding plan" as COVID-19 Medicaid policies are withdrawn.
Michael Hales, chairman of the advisory committee, said in a committee meeting last week it sent the letter on Aug. 30 that led to a conversation between the committee and Tracy Gruber, executive director of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. He said they talked about the experience people are having with the unenrollment process and how the department can help raise awareness and make calling the Medicaid office more user-friendly.
"This performance is among the worst in the nation and presents extreme challenges to those with technological and connectivity barriers. The call wait times and abandonment rates almost certainly led to members losing coverage inappropriately," the letter said. In August, there were 33,000 accounts closed — 16,444 of which were procedural and due to missing paperwork or incomplete reviews.
She also said some of thousands of accounts closed were ones where people are already enrolled in a program that was more applicable to their current situation, so they just represent people who have learned the new process — not people who have lost benefits.
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