A ‘system glitch’ is to blame for eligible children losing Medicaid coverage as the nationwide renewal process continues.

According to the Associated Press and The Daily Record, some children are being removed from the Medicaid Coverage system because the program is experiencing a ‘glitch’ that is not considering children individually from the household. A request has been made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for all states to double check their process and confirm that children are reviewed separately from their parents

From Ryan Moran, Deputy Secretary of Health Care Financing in Maryland:

“Maryland has responded immediately and is working closely with CMS to resolve this issue in a way that helps keep eligible individuals, particularly children, covered on Medicaid.”

Moran said that Maryland temporarily suspended all procedural terminations in August, and re-established coverage for any children who weren’t renewed in the automated process. That number was reported as a little less than 5% of the state’s total procedural terminations up to that point last month.

All states were given until Sept. 13 to diagnose if their automated renewal systems was experiencing this issue, while others immediately took steps to prevent similar situations. While the renewal process has the potential to be prolonged, Maryland has taken steps to maintain covered children automatically and reconsider those designations separately and in accordance with federal guidance.