How is the ACA Impacting Medicaid Enrollment?

New data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that as of the end of March 2014, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment had increased by over 4.8 million people since open enrollment began for the new Health Insurance Marketplaces in October 2013. These data help provide insight into how the ACA is impacting Medicaid enrollment, which has been a keen focus and subject of debate. However, understanding the ACA’s impact on Medicaid enrollment remains complex given that the ACA promotes increased Medicaid enrollment in varied ways, including changes in eligibility, modernization and simplification of enrollment processes, and increased outreach and enrollment efforts. This brief discusses the data and its interpretation to assess the influence of the ACA on Medicaid enrollment.