Dr. Mehta Talks Medicaid Unwind : Coverage Gaps

So when families have a gap in their health coverage and when these kids have gaps in their health health coverages, there are so many unintended negative health consequences that can happen even if the temporary lapse is just for a few days or a few weeks. And so I can imagine a kid with asthma who otherwise has really well controlled asthma, but suddenly he can't refill any of his medications because his health insurance has lapsed and his asthma keeps spiraling and gets worse and then suddenly he presents to the emergency room where I'm working and his asthma is so severe that he needs to be admitted to the intensive care unit. Another case that I could foresee is someone with coming in with a seizure disorder, not being able to get the the close neurology clinic follow up that they need because they don't have health insurance or the whole host of adolescents who are having psychiatric illnesses exacerbated right now because of the pandemic and other causes and they may be well controlled now on medications and seeing their psychiatrists. But if they were to lose insurance and can't get their medications, can't see their psychiatrists, they could come in much sicker to the emergency room.