JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Children in many states are being wrongly cut off from Medicaid because of a “glitch” in the automated systems being used in a massive eligibility review for the government-run health care program, a top Medicaid official said Wednesday.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is asking all states to review their computer-automated processes to make sure that children are evaluated separately from their parents — and aren’t losing coverage merely because of their parents’ ineligibility or inaction.
Though federal officials remained vague about the scope of the problem, it likely involves at least half the states and potentially affects millions of children, said Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
“I think it’s a very significant problem,” said Alker, whose center is tracking the Medicaid renewal process in each state.
In most states, children can qualify for Medicaid at household incomes that are several times higher than allowed for adults.