Work or Die Medicaid in Kentucky

Recent claims of a “shortfall” in the budget for Medicaid benefits – an unwarranted alarm based on a misrepresentation of budget numbers – are further undercut by the fact that Medicaid enrollment is falling. Between January and September of 2018, total Medicaid enrollment fell by 96,634 people, or 6.7 percent.
Not only has enrollment been steadily dropping over the past eight months, but enrollment is below what the state had projected and used in its cost estimates. In the budget, the state thought Medicaid enrollment would average 1,427,045 in fiscal year (FY) 2019. As of September, there were 1,336,455 people enrolled in Medicaid – approximately 90,600 or 6.3 percent fewer than expected for an average month in FY 2019.Kentucky Center for Economic Policy