美国国家公共电台 NPR--A change that kept people automatically enrolled in Medicaid is expiring soon

A change that kept people automatically enrolled² in Medicaid is expiring soon

Transcript³

Beginning in April, a pandemic-era law that changed access to Medicaid is set to expire. Six million low-income people could lose access to health care.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

A pandemic-era law that kept people automatically enrolled in Medicaid is expiring soon. In the spring of 2020, the federal government recognized that it would be a really bad time for people to lose access to health care, so it changed the rules to keep low-income people insured. From WHYY in Philadelphia, Alan Yu has more.

ALAN YU, BYLINE⁴: Usually, people on Medicaid have to reapply for the program every year. They have to fill out information about their income and residence to make sure they're still eligible⁵. It's a process that can become a barrier. Robert has not been on Medicaid for a few years. We're not using his last name because he has a medical condition he would like to keep private. He recently signed up for Medicaid again because his daughter encouraged him to go for a checkup. He's done the paperwork before, so it only took him about half an hour with his daughter's help. He has ADHD, so having a second set of eyes on his application was good.

ROBERT: And if we miss one little detail, they will reject you. You got to go back and check your work. I usually get two applications. So if I mess up on one, I can (laughter) do the other one, you know?

YU: If someone makes a mistake on their forms to get Medicaid, they could be denied coverage⁶. In March, 2020, federal legislation required states to keep people on the program as long as the country was in a public health emergency. They no longer had to reapply to stay in.

JENN LYDIC: It's allowed for a continuity that I think has really been lifesaving for a lot of folks.

YU: Jenn Lydic is the director of social services and community engagement at the Public Health Management Corporation, a nonprofit that runs six health centers in Philadelphia.

LYDIC: I know so many patients who have now been able to really finally get ahead of a lot of their health conditions, to be living with a chronic⁷ and acute health condition and know that they are going to be able to consistently access medication.

YU: The latest spending bill that Congress passed ends continuous Medicaid enrollments. That means starting this April, states can kick people off the rolls. People on Medicaid or the medical staff helping⁹ them will have to go back to renewing their paperwork every year or run the risk of losing access to medicine or treatments that they need.

LYDIC: It was kind of this constant battle and this constant struggle to make sure that we, our patients, stay connected to health insurance.

YU: Philadelphia Health Commissioner¹⁰ Cheryl Bettigole has worked in city health centers for years. She says taking away continuous Medicaid enrollment⁸ is a step backward.

CHERYL BETTIGOLE: There was this moment with the pandemic in which we recognized that it was really important for everybody to have access to care. We've somehow changed our minds about that. That is potentially quite shortsighted.

YU: Medicaid enrollment grew by almost 30% during the pandemic. The federal government estimates that the barrier of paperwork will mean more than 6 million people could lose their Medicaid coverage despite still being eligible. But there will be some lasting¹¹ changes from the pandemic. For instance, Oregon will allow children who qualify for Medicaid to enroll¹ at birth and stay enrolled until age 6 without having to reapply. Washington State, California and New Mexico are considering similar policies as well.

For NPR News, I'm Alan Yu in Philadelphia.

(SOUNDBITE OF SURPRISE CHEF'S "DRINKING FROM THE CUP OF BOB KNOB")

1 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

2 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

9 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。

10 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

11 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。