How a Government Shutdown Would Impact Health Programs  

Health agencies are preparing for a potential government shutdown that could lead to furloughs of thousands of workers and disrupt public health programs. Lawmakers have until September 30 to pass a government funding bill, but disagreements have delayed a resolution. It is increasingly appearing that the government will shut down on October 1.    

State Medicaid Unwinding Updates  

As explained in the last NACBH update, the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, which had halted Medicaid disenrollments since March 2020, ended on March 31, 2023. As a result, states will unwind the continuous enrollment provision over the coming year and redetermine eligibility for all Medicaid enrollees. Then, states will disenroll all people that are no longer eligible or those who may still be eligible but were unable to complete the renewal process.  

Different states are taking varying approaches to the unwinding process, resulting in varied impacts on Medicaid enrollees. For example, Idaho has already completed its unwinding process in just six months, while Hawai'i has paused disenrollments until January 2024.   

Closure of Mental Health Crisis Programs in Los Angeles County Highlights Ongoing Challenges in California  

Los Angeles County has decided to close mental health crisis linkage programs due to their underwhelming performance despite receiving approximately $30 million in state grants from the Mental Health Services Act. These programs, intended to provide urgent mental health support and prevent individuals in distress from ending up in hospitals or jails, will not be extended, resulting in the return of approximately $15 million in unspent state funds.