2026 Medicaid & QHP 271 Eligibility Scan

Key findings from our review of last month's eligibility response data

Insights from Office Ally’s Medicaid & QUP 271 Eligibility Scans

Healthcare eligibility verification is changing.

Every month, Office Ally reviews sampled Medicaid and Qualified Health Plan (QHP) 271 eligibility responses to identify newly observed date qualifiers and other eligibility information returned by payers. While many organizations focus primarily on whether coverage is active or inactive, 271 responses can include additional date information that may be useful during eligibility verification.

Our Eligibility Scan, which reviews last month's eligibility response data, identified several newly observed date qualifiers across both Medicaid and QHP responses. Each monthly scan compares the current month's observations to the previous month's scan, creating a historical record of how the information returned in sampled 271 responses changes over time.

As Medicaid renewal requirements evolve in 2027, monitoring these changes may become increasingly important for organizations that depend on accurate eligibility verification. CMS has directed states to transition most adults in the Medicaid expansion group to six-month eligibility renewals beginning with renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027.

Why This Matters

Healthcare organizations rely on eligibility verification to support patient registration, billing, and revenue cycle operations.

Beginning with renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027, most individuals enrolled through the Medicaid adult expansion group will move to six-month renewals. States will continue to follow the established renewal process, including reviewing eligibility before coverage expires and completing required renewal steps before making eligibility determinations.

While these policy changes do not change how providers verify eligibility today, they may result in more frequent updates to eligibility information for affected populations over time.

Monthly eligibility scans provide a simple way to monitor newly observed date qualifiers and understand what information is being returned in sampled Medicaid and QHP 271 responses.

Download the Latest Medicaid & QHP Eligibility Scan

This article highlights a few observations from the Office Ally eligibility scan.

If you'd like to review the complete results, you can download the full scan, which includes:

• Medicaid date qualifiers by state
• QHP date qualifiers by payer
• Newly observed date qualifiers compared to the previous month's scan
• Sample counts for each payer reviewed

The report is intended as a reference for organizations that want to monitor how the information returned in sampled 271 eligibility responses changes from month to month.

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Download the latest Medicaid & QHP Eligibility Scan Report

Office Ally analyzes Medicaid 271 eligibility responses across all 50 states on a monthly basis. Data reflects findings from the May 2026 analysis.

Monthly Summary

August Scan Highlights

Each month, Office Ally compares the latest Medicaid and Qualified Health Plan (QHP) 271 eligibility responses against the previous month's scan to identify newly observed date qualifiers.

In our August 2026 scan, which reviews July eligibility response data, we observed several new date qualifiers across both Medicaid and QHP responses. These included newly observed eligibility dates for one Medicaid program, along with additional coverage- and premium-related date qualifiers from several Marketplace payers.

While each monthly scan captures only a snapshot of sampled eligibility responses, reviewing the scans over time helps document how the information returned by Medicaid agencies and QHP payers changes from month to month.