Iowans taken off of Medicaid rolls

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says it has taken more than 160,000 people off the Medicaid roll in the past seven months who no longer qualify. HHS Director Kelly Garcia says  70 percent of those removed through October were for procedural reasons, like not returning required paperwork. Director Garcia says the information they use also helps them ensure they are not taking people off the list that are still eligible. They started looking to remove people following the end of a COVID-19 pandemic era federal requirement that required states to keep most people enrolled in Medicaid, even if they no longer qualified. The state data shows more than 15,000 people who were taken off the Medicaid roll have had their coverage reinstated.

(Story originated by Radio Iowa)