Arizona Republic

By: Stephanie Innes

Arizona’s Medicaid program hit a record-high enrollment of 2 million people this month, and some experts predict the numbers will continue to rise. … While the national emergency is set to expire July 25, it is expected to be extended, which will prolong the freeze on disenrollment at least until the end of the calendar year, said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. “The declaration of public health emergency as a practical matter is going to be a post-election issue,” Alker said. “The Congressional Budget Office is assuming for their baseline that the public health emergency is in place all through calendar 2021. Unfortunately, this virus isn’t going away any time soon.” The freeze on disenrollment is a positive for families because now is not the time to be losing one’s health coverage, Alker said. Normally, people go on and off Medicaid as their incomes fluctuate.

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