While it is a now December, we’re just now getting a comprehensive look at Medicaid enrollment for the month of October.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), 1.5 million people enrolled in Medicaid in October, and this does not count 36 states.
The total includes both those who are newly eligible for Medicaid in states that expanded the program and those in all states who were already eligible. They were funneled to the program both through the state-based insurance marketplaces that have opened under Obamacare and other sources (applying through local government offices, etc.). [...]
The number is also likely to go up. Major states like Ohio and Texas, where enrollment had not been finalized, were not included in the final tally.
Even in states such as Texas, where conservative governors are refusing to expand Medicaid, some individuals are discovering for the first time that they already qualify for Medicaid. The vast majority of new enrollments are a result of the expansion of Medicaid.
And, again, this does not include every state and this number only represents the month of October. When all is said and done the number will explode.
I hold the belief that Medicaid enrollment will surpass all expectations because we underestimate how much of the nation either already qualifies or will qualify after the expansion. The tools necessary for gauging that are undoubtedly more robust today than they’ve ever been.