Eligibility for ACA Health Coverage Following Job Loss
Data Note
Medicaid already covers many workers, and Medicaid beneficiaries who lose their jobs and income will retain their Medicaid coverage, as there is no lower floor on income eligibility for Medicaid.
Notably, eligibility for marketplace subsidies (but not Medicaid) includes the new federal supplemental unemployment insurance benefits recently enacted by Congress for people affected by COVID-19. This supplemental benefit could lead some unemployed low-wage workers who previously were in the “coverage gap” (income below poverty but above state Medicaid limits) to have income above poverty, making them newly eligible for Marketplace subsidies.
People who were uninsured while working may be able to enroll in marketplace coverage if they live in a state with a state-run marketplace, most of which have re-opened enrollment to allow residents to obtain marketplace coverage if eligible. However, people who were uninsured while working and live in one of the 32 states that use the federal marketplace do not qualify for a “special enrollment period” to enroll in coverage through the federal marketplace.