During the coronavirus pandemic, states were prohibited from removing people from Medicaid in exchange for receiving enhanced federal funding. States have 14 months to finish their backlog of eligibility reviews, according to guidelines from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Like in most states, many of those who lost Medicaid coverage in Arkansas were removed for procedural reasons, such as not returning renewal forms needed to verify their eligibility. People removed from Medicaid can regain coverage retroactively if they provide information proving their eligibility within 90 days. Arkansas' percentage decline in children covered by Medicaid ranks among the largest in the nation, Alker said.

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Persons: ”, Joan Alker, Kristi Putnam, ” Putnam, Sarah Huckabee Sanders ’, Grant Tennille, “ It’s, ” Tennille, Tippi McCullough, ” McCullough, Joe Biden's, Alker, ___ Lieb Organizations: Republican, Georgetown University Center for Children, Medicare, Services, Arkansas Department of Human, Republican Gov, Arkansas Democratic, Medicaid, District of Columbia, Arkansas Locations: Arkansas, Jefferson City , Missouri