This episode spotlights health insurance in the U.S. – and why an estimated 15 million Medicaid enrollees are at risk of losing their health insurance coverage and access to care.  

In 2020, Congress enacted legislation that gave states extra Medicaid funds to help address the raging pandemic, but they attached a condition that prevented states from disenrolling individuals during the public health emergency. On March 31, 2023, the requirement expired and states began to return to normal eligibility and enrollment operations. Referred to as “the Medicaid unwinding,” this represents the biggest health insurance coverage event since the Affordable Care Act. 

Host Heather Howard, a professor at Princeton University and former New Jersey Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, discusses the unprecedented transition with Kate McEvoy, Executive Director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, and Dr. Kemi Alli, a pediatrician and Chief Executive Officer of Henry J. Austin Health Center, a federally qualified health center in Trenton, New Jersey. They talk about strategies for maximizing continuity of coverage for consumers -- along with who is most likely to slip through the cracks, the role of state health officials and health care providers, and the potential impact on public health.

Read how Princeton University’s State Health & Value Strategies (SHVS) program, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is helping states navigate the transition by visiting the SHVS website.

Visit the Henry J. Austin Health Center website to learn more about its efforts to help patients “stay covered.”

Read Kate McEvoy’s discussion of Medicaid stability with Health Affairs here.

The Princeton Pulse Podcast is a production of Princeton University's Center for Health and Wellbeing (CHW). The show is hosted by Heather Howard, a professor at Princeton University and former New Jersey Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, produced by Aimee Bronfeld, and edited by Alex Brownstein. You can subscribe to The Princeton Pulse Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts.