Half a million people remain without Medicaid in this state.

Nearly 500,000 people have been kicked off Medicaid in Virginia as the state implements a rollback.

During the pandemic, the federal government has frozen all Medicaid requirements and allowed Americans to remain on government-run health insurance without reapplying or proving additional eligibility.

However, since April of last year, states have been removing Medicaid beneficiaries as they reset the rules on who is eligible for coverage.

In Virginia, more than 480,000 residents have been excluded from state health care coverage as of this month, the state’s health care tracker reveals.

During the pandemic, about 2 million Virginians had Medicaid coverage. Another 69,000 people are waiting to be re-determined for Medicaid in the state.

Medicaid: On a Tightrope

Patients who are excluded are likely to be ineligible because of the financial requirements of the government program. To qualify, a person’s income must be at or below 80 percent of the federal poverty level.

Despite not meeting the financial threshold, many beneficiaries and health care experts are concerned about how the decommissioning process will impact health care in the United States in the long term.

Some beneficiaries were denied Medicaid coverage after taking on a part-time job that put their income above the limit.

Unlike many full-time jobs, part-time work often does not include health coverage, leaving many Americans uninsured for life-saving treatments and medications.

Medicaid has also been withdrawn from a large number of Americans due to procedural problems, such as missing deadlines or changing addresses.

According to health research firm KFF, 55 percent of people who lost their Medicaid coverage in Virginia lost their insurance for procedural reasons. That means many are still eligible but don’t have access to the program.

State Medicaid typically mails a renewal package to determine eligibility, but coverage will be revoked for those who do not provide the necessary documentation within 30 days.

Delays in mailing or changes in address may jeopardize residents’ health insurance.

According to the latest figures from KFF, nearly 25 million Americans have lost Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage since last year.