Housing insecurity of medicaid beneficiaries with cognitive disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: While people with cognitive disabilities are more vulnerable to COVID-19, and the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased housing insecurity in the general population, less is known about Medicaid beneficiaries with cognitive disabilities’ housing insecurity during the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This study's aim was to explore housing insecurity of Medicaid beneficiaries with cognitive disabilities during the pandemic (April 2021–May 2022). METHODS: We analyzed Household Pulse Survey data from 473,626 (unweighted) people; frequency-person weights were applied. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and binary and ordinal logistic regression models. RESULTS: Findings revealed 26% of Medicaid beneficiaries with cognitive disabilities who rented or owned with a mortgage were behind on their housing payments between April 2021 and May 2022; more than half of which (52%) were very or somewhat likely to face eviction/foreclosure. Most (70%) were concerned about their ability to make their next housing payment. Medicaid beneficiaries with cognitive disabilities were more likely to experience housing insecurity than all other people with disabilities and nondisabled people. The people with Medicaid beneficiaries with cognitive disabilities more likely to experience housing insecurity included: renters; people with visual disabilities; cisgender women; transgender people; Black people; ‘another’ race or multiracial people; people with graduate degrees; people from lower income households; households that experienced income loss; and larger households. CONCLUSIONS: Attention to Medicaid beneficiaries with cognitive disabilities’ experiences with housing insecurity during the pandemic is critical in order to develop programs and policies to facilitate housing security.