This browser does not support the Video element.
Many impacted after 3,400+ Medicaid providers disenrolled
Many are impacted after thousands of Minnesota Medicaid providers were disenrolled. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has more.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota’s Department of Human Services on Thursday announced that it had disenrolled thousands of Medicaid providers, leaving many without critical services.
Thousands of Medicaid providers dropped after state review
What we know:
The state disenrolled 3,411 Medicaid providers after reviewing 5,583 they considered "high-risk." The move is part of an effort to prevent fraud and protect $2 billion in federal Medicaid funding.
According to the agency, more than 800 of the dropped providers have already filed appeals. While those appeals are pending, the providers are unable to help anyone, which means people who rely on their services must either go without or try to find another provider.
The process is meant to ensure that only trusted providers remain in the system, but it has left many without immediate options for care.
The impact on Minnesotans seeking help
What they're saying:
It is unclear how many participants have been impacted by the state’s decision to disenroll thousands of Medicaid providers, but even before that announcement some had struggled to navigate the system and find help.
"It’s deep-sea fishing, you know, in an internet of endless possibilities," said a St. Paul woman who relied on Medicaid services. She did not want to use her name.
"They dropped me like a hot potato, and it just doesn’t exist anymore."
She used two Medicaid programs, one to help her find a place to live and another for day-to-day support. The state shut down one program last year over widespread fraud allegations, and her other provider left the business altogether, leaving her scrambling to find someone else.
But she has not had any luck.
Her $400 per month rent has tripled since she lost access to both programs.
"It’s a financial hardship that I’m navigating every single day. I can barely buy groceries, and with the price of gas and groceries going up, it’s just every day gets more and more unmanageable, and it’s untenable. It’s painful," she said.
DHS said providers have 60 days to appeal, and the agency will review appeals as they come in, hoping to get as many providers back online as quickly as possible.