LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)-- During the pandemic, states were not allowed to kick people off of Medicaid. On April 1, that will change. Soon, millions of Americans will lose healthcare coverage after the three year pause. Even people who still qualify are at risk.

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, even the unqualified still received coverage. In December 2022, local organizations, hospitals, and local government have been warning recipients to verify their information for Medicaid.

In the United States, roughly 80 million people are covered by Medicaid. Roughly 14 million are likely to lose coverage.

"We know that in our state alone there is quite a number of people who are up as 40 percent of our population and that 268 thousand stand to lose their coverage," said Dr. Robert Tasman at Our Lady of Lourdes.

According to Dr. Tasman, not having medical coverage can delay delay medical treatment.

"It put them behind in health. This is one of the reasons why we are encouraging people to maintain the coverage they have whether its private or not so they can get the coverage they need."

Several resources on how to solidify your coverage can be found through the Louisiana Department of Health's website and a patient portal provided by Our Lady of Lourdes.