Enrolled and unaware: characteristics of Medicaid enrollees misreporting their coverage Status.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

While surveys suggest that many Medicaid enrollees mistakenly report that they do not have Medicaid coverage, little is known about this population. Enrollment misreporting could be associated with poorer access if enrollees delay or avoid needed care because they incorrectly believe they cannot afford it.

Methods

We exploited the COVID-19 Medicaid continuous coverage provision to identify sociodemographic and health characteristics of enrollees who initially reported Medicaid but subsequently misreported their coverage, and to characterize their patterns of health care access, utilization, and spending.

Results

We found that 11.5% of enrollees misreported their coverage, belonging to 2 distinct groups: those who reported being uninsured, and those who re

SUBMITTER: Nelson DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12822594 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature