A federal public health emergency rule put in place during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 that prevented Texas residents from being dropped from Medicaid will expire in April.
About 1.6 million Texans joined the state Medicaid program during the pandemic. This increased enrollment to more than 5 million. Those who applied were allowed to stay on Medicaid and exempted from completing what used to be routine renewal paperwork based on eligibility and income.
Those enrolled in Medicaid are primarily low-income children, pregnant women, and parents of dependent children. According to a report from researchers at Texas A&M and the Episcopal Health Foundation, some enrollees could be dropped when the emergency rule expires.