Protecting and Expanding Medicaid Now and Into the Future
WHEREAS, the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Medicaid expansion expanded Medicaid coverage to nearly all adults with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level; and
WHEREAS, research shows Medicaid expansion to low-income adults has shown evidence of decreased racial disparities in coverage rates, affordability of care, utilization of surgery and other services, and health outcomes including maternal and infant mortality; and
WHEREAS, a May 2021 Kaiser Family Foundation report finds that Medicaid expansion has improved or had a positive impact on:
Overall mortality rates;
Coverage and access to care among populations with cancer, chronic disease, and/or disabilities;
Outcomes related to sexual and reproductive health;
Access to care and outcomes related to substance use disorder (SUD) as well as other mental health care;
Social determinants of health
Financial impacts for states, hospitals, and other providers
WHEREAS, a Distribution of the Non-elderly with Medicaid by Race/Ethnicity shows that of those covered by Medicaid in 2021, 18.6% are Black, 29.2% are Hispanic, 4.7% are Asian/Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, .9% are American Indian/Alaska Native, and 6.3% identify with multiple races; and
WHEREAS, 38 states and the District of Columbia have adopted and implemented Medicaid expansion, 2 states have adopted but not implemented Medicaid expansion (North Carolina, Sout Dakota), and 10 states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) have not adopted the expansion; and
WHEREAS, under federal legislation, March 31, 2023, was the end date for the continuous coverage requirement, a key provision that has kept states from terminating most people's Medicaid coverage since the pandemic began in March 2020; and
WHEREAS, up to 18 million people could lose their coverage during the unwinding deepening already severe health disparities and inequities with over 50% of those anticipated to lose coverage being people of color.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the NAACP strongly advocates for Medicaid Expansion to be adopted in the following states to protect their most vulnerable: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, through the Medicaid Unwinding process, the NAACP urges all states to conduct sufficient outreach to Medicaid beneficiaries, develop plans and improve systems to transition people no longer eligible to other coverage alternatives, and review and improve renewal processes so that people who remain eligible for Medicaid do not lose coverage for procedural reasons.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the NAACP urges all 50 states to adopt, implement, maintain, and protect Medicaid expansion and coverage to prioritize the health and well-being of their most vulnerable.