1. Medicaid enrollment began growing steadily in March 2020. The primary factor is that more New Yorkers become eligible for Medicaid coverage after losing employment or becoming underemployed due to the COVID-19 induced economic crisis. Compounding that, for states to be eligible for the increased FMAP authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, they had to provide continuous eligibility for Medicaid members enrolled as of March 18, 2020 through the end of the month in which the public health emergency (PHE) ended. As a result, the churn of Medicaid members off coverage when they recertify their eligibility was paused. New York began unwinding from the PHE and recertifying member eligibility in June 2023, following the end of the continuous enrollment requirement on March 31, 2023.
The New York Department of Health may retroactively adjust reported monthly enrollment totals, and some of these past period adjustments may not be reflected in the enrollment data presented here.
New York State Department of Health. NYS Medicaid Enrollment Databook. (May 2019-Present).
2. Average monthly enrollment is calculated by UHF by taking an average of each county's monthly enrollment during all months included in the adjustable time frame. The default average monthly enrollment is the reported number of beneficiaries enrolled in Medicaid during the single most recently reported month, e.g., July 2022. This average is used to calculate the percentage of the county population enrolled in Medicaid. County population data is from the American Community Survey 2016-20 5-year population estimates. The New York Department of Health may retroactively adjust reported monthly enrollment totals, and some of these past period adjustments may not be reflected in the enrollment data presented here.
New York State Department of Health. NYS Medicaid Enrollment Databook.
U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2016-2020 5-year estimates. Table S0101.
