CNN

By: Tami Luhby

Just over 4 million more Americans turned to Medicaid last spring as the coronavirus pandemic upended the nation’s economy, new federal data released Wednesday shows. The 5.7% jump between February and June came as millions of people lost their jobs — and, for many, their health insurance too — amid the public health emergency. Also, a coronavirus relief package Congress passed in mid-March barred states from cutting eligibility and disenrolling beneficiaries during the pandemic… The increase, however, was less than some experts had predicted amid the economic collapse last spring. That’s in part because some workers were temporarily furloughed and able to keep their work-based health coverage, said Edwin Park, a research professor at the Georgetown Center for Children and Families. Also, Medicaid enrollment typically lags job loss during a recession.But more of those layoffs are becoming permanent, so Medicaid enrollment is expected to increase, Park said.

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