Texas Receives Warning About Delays in Medicaid and Food Benefits

The Biden administration is cautioning Texas officials about potential penalties if the state continues to experience delays in providing Medicaid and food assistance to low-income households.

Texas is facing accusations of ongoing delays in processing Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMS) have contacted the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) regarding issues such as significant backlogs in benefit processing and health coverage issuance.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, revealed multiple letters from the administration urging Texas to submit internal data and records and warning of potential consequences if federal laws continue to be violated.

“The lack of concern from Governor [Greg] Abbott has left countless vulnerable families without access to medical care or the means to provide food for their families,” Doggett stated in a statement.

“While actions from USDA and CMS are necessary, Texans will continue to suffer until we have competent State leadership that prioritizes the most vulnerable. Any loss of federal funding, including administrative funds, would be a direct result of the failures of the Abbott HHSC.”

According to Axios, over a million Texans, primarily children, lost their Medicaid health insurance due to administrative errors in November.

States have faced challenges reassessing the eligibility of Medicaid recipients who were allowed to maintain coverage during the COVID pandemic, despite income changes.

Texas HHSC spokesperson Tiffany Young informed Axios that state officials spent over a year preparing to reevaluate the eligibility of approximately 6 million individuals for Medicaid.

“We are in constant communication with our staff,” Young stated via email. “This is a massive effort, and when eligibility issues are identified through our quality assurance process, we work diligently to address them to minimize disruption to our clients.”

Reports from El Paso Matters indicated that delays in processing SNAP benefits were exceeding six months by the end of the year, as warned by anonymous Texas HHSC employees.

As Newsweek reported, Texas risks losing $8.3 million in SNAP funding if the issues persist.