Op-Ed Guide: Medicaid Unwinding and Regaining Coverage

What is an op-ed and how do I run one?

Op-eds are opinion articles written by guest authors. They can be written by local citizens, organization leaders, experts or others who are knowledgeable about an issue. These pieces express opinion and use persuasive language, but need to include data and true stories. They may range in length from 400 to 1,200 words; often newspapers will have specific length guidelines posted on their websites. These must be pitched to the editors and are published at their discretion.  

Compelling writing and an expert author can help sell the piece. Local details and perspectives that make it relevant to a publication's audience are important. More relevant and timely topics are more likely to be published. 

Important: Most editors expect your piece will be exclusive to their outlet, meaning it will not run in any other outlets. We strongly encourage writers to pitch to one outlet at a time, giving them a few days to respond before pitching to a different outlet.  

Key areas of focus when writing on the Medicaid unwinding

• If you have stories of families impacted by Medicaid disenrollments, share them! 
• Make families aware of why they may have been disenrolled – some sample language for discussing the Medicaid unwinding can be found below. 
• Explain the risks of children having prolonged gaps in coverage, and why it’s important for parents and caregivers to move quickly on finding coverage.
• Include one clear, actionable task parents and caregivers can take to learn more about their coverage status and how to obtain coverage if they have lost it. We recommend directing people to your state Medicaid agency’s website (or, for a local audience: localhelp.healthcare.gov).  

Key messages to consider

Below are some key messaging points you may wish to integrate into your op-ed. We strongly recommend customizing these to fit your voice and reflect your own personal experience as a pediatrician.  

General Messaging Around Medicaid

• More than 1 in 5 Americans rely on Medicaid for their health insurance, including children, parents, seniors, pregnant people, people with disabilities, and low-income adults.
• Medicaid allows my patients who have special health care needs to get care in the hospital when they need it and access services in the home that most times helps keep them out of the hospital.  
• Medicaid helps ensure that children can access the health care they need to grow up healthy, like annual child check-ups, immunizations, and screenings. 

Explaining the Unwinding

• A policy was put in place during the COVID pandemic to make sure no one lost their Medicaid coverage during the public health emergency. That policy ended in April 2023 and now states are reviewing their programs to check who is still eligible for the program.
• Since that lapse in protections, nearly 5 million children have been disenrolled from Medicaid. 
• In most states, the vast majority of these disenrollments have been due to procedural reasons like delayed paperwork or other red tape.
• Any gaps in health care coverage can be detrimental. 
  • We know that when someone is uninsured, they are more likely to delay or go without the care they need. 
  • That means that kids might be unable to get follow-up care for injuries and newly diagnosed chronic conditions, or they might skip doses of their medication. 

Guidance for Families on Obtaining Coverage 

• If your children have lost coverage, it’s not too late to obtain a health care plan for them at little to no cost – but now is the time to act.
• Even if adults in your family are no longer eligible for Medicaid, your children may still meet requirements for coverage.
• If your children are ineligible to be covered through Medicaid, they might still be eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program – or CHIP, for short.
• If you are unsure where to start, visit [insert your state Medicaid plan website] to see which options are available to your family.
• The most important thing you can do is be responsive to any paperwork you receive. The longer your child goes without coverage, the greater the risk to their health and to your family’s finances.
• There are lots of options to cover your family, and data shows that when kids are covered, they’re more likely to get the care they need to stay healthy.
• If you’re not sure where to start, your pediatrician can help connect you to your local Medicaid office.
• You can also visit localhelp.healthcare.gov to learn more. 

Template Medicaid Unwinding Op-ed Structure

Below is one potential structure for writing your op-ed.  

1. Start with an anecdote or other attention-grabber (100 – 150 words): Open your op-ed with a story that grabs the reader’s attention, e.g. a story about a family whose child lost coverage and faced financial or health consequences. If you don’t have a real-life example, you could also lay out a short hypothetical situation where a child needs care and contrast what happens when that child has coverage and what happens when they do not. 
2. Describe the problem (200 – 250 words): Transition into discussing the problem at hand. This is a good place to briefly describe the Medicaid unwinding, use a statistic or two (you can find state-level data on disenrollments here), and discuss why children are being disenrolled.
3. Tell parents and caregivers what action they can take (50 – 100 words): State very plainly what parents and caregivers should do – generally, you may want to direct them to your state Medicaid agency’s website. If you are writing for a national outlet, localhelp.healthcare.org is also a good national resource for families looking for coverage. 
4. Close with reassurance and restate your “ask” (~50 words) 

Other tips for writing op-eds

Edit. Once you have a draft, seek a second opinion. Ask your reviewer to spot any errors, but also for their advice on whether you presented your arguments persuasively. Double check that your lead is compelling. Sometimes writers "bury" their best elements; moving a paragraph up may improve the piece.  

Make a persuasive pitch to the editor. Submit your op-ed with a brief (1-2 short paragraphs) cover letter that provides your contact information and reasons your op-ed is timely and relevant to the outlet's readers. We also recommend including the op-ed at the end of the email rather than as an attachment to avoid triggering spam filters.  

Follow up. If your op-ed is published, thank the outlet. If your piece is rejected, don't give up. Try different angles, different outlets, and different times to submit your op-ed elsewhere. Keep your information updated if any of your sentences are time-specific: “It has been 3 months since…” or “The school year is coming to an end…,” etc.