Enrollment in Medicaid grew by nearly 10 million during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to newly released data. The number of people covered by the program, which helps poor people with healthcare bills, reached 73.7 million in January, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). That was up from 64 million 11 months prior, and a new record high. Nearly one in four Americans have coverage from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Combined, over 80 million were enrolled by the end of January, another unprecedented number. CMS attributed the increase in enrollment to the COVID-19 relief package that Congress passed in March 2020 before President Donald Trump signed it into law. The package, formally known as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, provided states with a temporary payment increase in matching funding for Medicaid. In exchange, states were forbidden from removing people who later became ineligible for the program. …