COVID led to historic high enrollments. But as the emergency comes to an end, millions are expected to lose their insurance, including people who meet the requirements for Medicaid but get lost in its labyrinthine bureaucracy.
Three years ago, Mason Lester, a rambunctious toddler, tumbled off his family's porch and broke his wrist. His mother, nine months pregnant, rushed him to a nearby hospital, where she made a confounding discovery: Their health insurance had vanished.
Tennessee expects to soon disenroll about 300,000 people from Medicaid. But families like the Lesters have been entangled in bureaucracy and clerical mistakes, causing them to unfairly lose coverage.