Promoting Equity & Coverage in New York’s Public Insurance Programs

A new report issued by the Community Service Society of New York (CSS) and funded by the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) finds that African Americans are more likely to be disenrolled from Medicaid.

More than 40% of all enrollees in New York’s public health insurance programs lose their coverage each year although many remain eligible. The analysis of Medicaid health plan data reveals that among racial/ethnic groups, African-Americans have the lowest annual retention rates (59%) while Asian/Pacific Islanders have the highest retention rates (65%).

CSS’s report makes two policy recommendations about how New York State could improve the renewal process for racial and ethnic minorities: 1) the State should seek a waiver from the Federal government in order to offer two years of continuous public insurance enrollment and help reduce racial disparities in health insurance coverage; 2) the State should work closely with Medicaid managed care plans to review their retention rates for different races/ethnicities and to make such information publicly available.

This report is the second in a two-part series on racial and ethnic disparities in health; read the first report in the series.