More than 4 million Americans enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program between February and June of this year, CMS said Sept. 30.
That represents a 5.7 percent increase since a public health emergency for COVID-19 was declared in March. CMS said it will release monthly updates that track total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment during the pandemic.
Medicaid enrollment is up 6.2 percent, CMS said, while new CHIP enrollment is up by 23,495, or half a percent. The increases are in line with hospital executives' expectations. According to a recent analysis from Guidehouse Center for Health Insights, about 70 percent of hospital and health system executives said they are preparing for lower commercial reimbursement as self-pay patients and Medicaid beneficiaries increase.