Montana records largest drop in childhood Medicaid coverage from pre-pandemic figures, study shows

Montana had a 27% drop in childhood Medicaid enrollment from April to December 2023, the second highest in the nation, according to a new report that evaluates how states handled post-pandemic Medicaid eligibility throughout much of last year.

The study, authored by researchers at the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University, finds that childhood Medicaid enrollment dropped by more than four million nationwide during eligibility redeterminations in 2023. That figure does not include all children who lost Medicaid coverage but were later able to re-enroll, experts said Thursday.