State Brief: DC
Sick of Waiting: Barriers to Medicaid Keep Healthcare Out of Reach
While all people who are eligible for Medicaid are legally guaranteed coverage, many Americans who are eligible struggle to enroll in and maintain Medicaid coverage. To better understand the barriers faced by people trying to access Medicaid, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), SPACEs In Action, and researchers at Columbia University surveyed 77 community members in DC about their experiences applying for Medicaid. We found widespread administrative and system barriers–such as long wait times, unhelpful representatives, calls being dropped or no one answering the phone, and the website being difficult to navigate.