美国国家公共电台 NPR--Medicaid renewals: Those who don't reenroll could get kicked off

Medicaid renewals²: Those who don't reenroll could get kicked off

Transcript³

A federal rule that protected coverage⁴ for Medicaid recipients⁵ during the pandemic will expire on March 31. When it does, tens of millions of people will need to re-enroll or lose benefits.

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Millions of Americans could lose their health insurance over the coming months.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

That's because a federal rule that protected people's Medicaid coverage during the pandemic expires this Friday at midnight.

PFEIFFER: NPR health correspondent Maria Godoy is with us with details. Hi, Maria.

MARIA GODOY, BYLINE⁶: Hi, Sasha.

PFEIFFER: Why is this happening?

GODOY: Well, it's the end of a pandemic-era protection. So Medicaid is the public health insurance program for low-income people. Before the pandemic, they had to reenroll every year, and it's a big red tape hassle. People often got dropped even if they did qualify for coverage. And a lot of times, they only found this out when they showed up at the ER or they went to the pharmacy⁷ to refill a prescription⁸, and they were told you're no longer covered.

PFEIFFER: That sounds like a very inefficient⁹ system.

GODOY: Well, right. So back in 2020, lawmakers passed this rule that prevented states from dropping people from Medicaid, but that protection ends on March 31.

PFEIFFER: Maria, how many millions of people are on Medicaid, and what does it mean for them?

GODOY: Well, there's roughly 85 million people on Medicaid, and every one of them is going to have to reenroll to keep their benefits. But to be clear, it's not going to happen all at once. States are going to start sending out notices to people telling them when it's time to reenroll. Some states are asking people now to submit paperwork to prove they're still eligible¹⁰. Some people might be getting termination notices on April 1, although they can appeal. But the problem is not everyone is going to get these notices or complete the paperwork on time.

PFEIFFER: This sounds like a major administrative¹¹ undertaking¹² and potentially chaotic¹³.

GODOY: Right. It's massive because if you think about it, it's been three whole years since people had to renew Medicaid. Now there's more people than ever on the program. A lot of people have moved since the pandemic. Maybe they didn't update their contact information, so they're not going to get those renewal¹ notices from the state. I spoke¹⁴ with Elizabeth Edwards. She's with an advocacy group, the National Health Law Program. She told me Medicaid offices in many states are understaffed and just overwhelmed.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS: Advocates are starting to see problems at call centers with long wait times, as well as call centers just stopping accepting calls because they have enough for the day or they're closed on a certain day to catch up on work.

GODOY: And, you know, roughly 1 in 4 Americans are on Medicaid right now. So that's a lot of people to process.

PFEIFFER: Right, about a quarter of the country. So, Maria, for people going through this and trying to keep their coverage, what are some other roadblocks they might run into when trying to reenroll?

GODOY: Well, there's concern about people with limited English and also those with disabilities. Certain disabilities qualify you for Medicaid. But Edwards says some of the renewal paperwork in some states isn't asking the right questions that can flag conditions that might qualify someone. She says they're also seeing problems with notices that don't tell people why they lost coverage. And if you don't know why, it makes it really hard to appeal.

PFEIFFER: You're describing what could be enormous upheaval¹⁵ in people's lives that they may not even know is coming.

GODOY: Right. And, you know, there's a real human impact here that I don't want to be missed. Especially if you have a chronic¹⁶ health condition, a gap in coverage could be incredibly disruptive. Estimates suggest as many as 18 million people are going to lose coverage during this process.

PFEIFFER: So in terms of helping¹⁷ people, is there anything that people going through reenrollment can do to make this process go more smoothly¹⁸?

GODOY: Yeah. So make sure your contact information is up to date with your state or local Medicaid agency or the insurance company that runs Medicaid in your state. And please watch your mail for renewal notices.

PFEIFFER: Thank you for those tips. That is NPR health correspondent Maria Godoy.

GODOY: My pleasure.

1 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

2 renewals   

重建( renewal的名词复数 )； 更新； 重生； 合同的续订

参考例句：

• Number of circulations excluding renewals. 7th out of 10 libraries. 借阅数目（不包括续借）。在10间图书馆中排行第七。
• Certification Renewals shall be due on July 1 of the renewal year. 资格认证更新在更新年的7月1日生效。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

5 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

8 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

9 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

10 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

11 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

12 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

13 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

16 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

17 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

18 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。