Why are Republicans refusing to expand Medicaid in some states?
In those that have refused to expand Medicaid, Republicans in power have maintained that their states cannot afford to pursue the measure and their opposition has become more ideological over time.
What states did not expand Medicaid under Obamacare?
KEY FACTS The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, allows states to decide whether or not to opt in to the law’s Medicaid expansion. Twelve states have yet to pass a Medicaid expansion: Wyoming, Texas, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas and Florida.
Should Wyoming expand Medicaid?
Expanding Medicaid is an option available to states since 2014 through the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, yet Wyoming and 11 other states have refused to take up the federal government’s offer.
Is Missouri the 6th state to expand Medicaid?
With its vote on Tuesday, Missouri becomes the latest state to defy state GOP leaders and pass a Medicaid expansion by ballot initiative. Missouri is the sixth Republican-controlled state to expand Medicaid by a ballot initiative and the seventh state overall to expand Medicaid since President Trump’s inauguration. 1 million.
Which states are opposed to Medicaid expansion?
Nonexpansion states include 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Did most states opt out of Medicaid expansion?
Twenty-four states have opted out of expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. We projected the number of persons who will remain uninsured because of the Medicaid opt-outs and used data from three prior studies to predict the health and financial impacts of the opt-outs.
Why Florida did not expand Medicaid?
Florida has set below-average limits for the mandatory coverage groups, and since the state has not accepted federal funding to expand Medicaid, the eligibility rules have not changed with the implementation of the ACA.
Why did Tennessee not expand Medicaid?
Most states leapt at the opportunity to expand, and numerous studies show expansion has transformative impacts on the health of low-income residents. Tennessee and 11 other states, all controlled by Republicans, have rejected Medicaid expansion largely because of its association with the Obama administration.
Which is a reason some states have not expanded Medicaid to cover more of their needy residents following passage of the ACA?
(The cap on Medicaid eligibility under the ACA is 138 percent of the poverty level, which is currently less than $28,000/year for a family of three.) The lack of a work requirement is purportedly one of the reasons some states still haven't expanded Medicaid coverage.
What states refuse Obamacare?
However, as of now, 12 states are refusing to expand Medicaid. Those states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. The Annie E.
Did Florida opt out of Obamacare?
Florida is one of 12 states still rejecting Obamacare dollars available to provide insurance to uninsured residents.
What is the highest income to qualify for Medicaid?
Federal Poverty Level thresholds to qualify for Medicaid The Federal Poverty Level is determined by the size of a family for the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia. For example, in 2022 it is $13,590 for a single adult person, $27,750 for a family of four and $46,630 for a family of eight.
How much would it cost to expand Medicaid in Florida?
The American Rescue Plan o ers an additional $3.9 billion to Florida should it expand Medicaid, enough to cover the cost for 6.5 years.
Did Florida expand Medicaid?
Florida is one of 12 states that has not expanded its Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act.
Does Tennessee participate in Obamacare?
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee remains the only carrier to offer Obamacare insurance statewide.
Did Missouri expand Medicaid?
Medicaid expansion extends coverage to adults under age 65 with household incomes up to 138% of the poverty level. In 2022, that amounts to about $18,754 for a single individual, and $38,295 for a household of four (children were already eligible for Medicaid at higher income levels).
Which states have refused to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid?
Eight of the 12 states that have refused to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act are located in the South: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and South Carolina. All have Republican-controlled legislatures.
How many people in the Southern states are in the Medicaid gap?
In total, over 2 million people living in Southern states fall into the gap. "A large body of research demonstrates that Medicaid expansion increases health insurance coverage, improves access to care, provides financial security, and improves health outcomes," the report states.
How many people in the Medicaid coverage gap have disabilities?
In addition, CBPP calculates that about 15% of people in the Medicaid coverage gap have disabilities. That includes 7% with serious cognitive difficulties, and more than 6% who have difficulty with basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, carrying, or reaching.
Can I get medicaid if I get pregnant?
And a third are women of childbearing age, meaning that if they get pregnant they can apply for existing Medicaid coverage. However, the coverage would not begin until they are determined to be eligible, meaning they could miss out on critical prenatal care during the first months of pregnancy.
Which states have the greatest coverage gap?
The states with the greatest number of essential workers in the coverage gap are Texas (209,000) and Florida (98,000) — GOP-led states that have had notoriously ineffective public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, over 2 million people living in Southern states fall into the gap.
Do essential workers in Southern states fall in the Medicaid coverage gap?
That makes it particularly striking that essential workers in Southern states disproportionately fall in the Medicaid coverage gap. Not provided health insurance through their jobs and unable to afford it in the private market, these workers risk their lives to keep the economy running — and disproportionately die in the process.
Which states have expanded Medicaid?
The Fairness Project, a social justice nonprofit, has spearheaded ballot initiatives in four Republican-run states—Idaho, Utah, Nebraska and Oklahoma— and was part of the ballot effort in Missouri, reports the New York Times .
When will Missouri expand Medicaid?
Primary voters greenlighted an expansion of Medicaid in Missouri on Tuesday, becoming the 38th state to do so, leaving just a handful of mostly red states that have yet to expand healthcare coverage. at a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Monday, May 18, 2020.
How many states have not expanded Medicaid?
Today, twelve states have still not expanded Medicaid. The biggest are Texas, Florida, and Georgia, but there are a few outside the South, including Wyoming and Kansas. There are more than 2 million people across the United States who have no option when it comes to health insurance. They're in what's known as the "coverage gap" — they don't ...
How much does the federal government cover for Medicaid?
Essentially, the federal government will cover 90% of the costs of the newly eligible population, and an additional 5% of the costs of those already enrolled.
Does Briana Wright have health insurance?
Briana Wright is one of those people. She's 27, lives near Jackson, Miss., works at McDonalds, and doesn't have health insurance.
Is Wright still uninsured?
Today, there are 12 holdout states that have not expanded Medicaid, and Mississippi is one of them. So, Wright is still uninsured.
Which states have refused to expand Medicaid?
The 12 states besides Tennessee that have refused to expand Medicaid are: Alabama. Florida: Mississippi. Missouri. North Carolina. Oklahoma.
What is Medicaid expansion?
Medicaid expansion – a government policy that extends taxpayer-funded health coverage to the moderately poor – saw significant victories against long odds two weeks ago.
Is Tennessee a health care state?
Tennessee is of the unhealthiest states in the country. Nearly 7 percent of the population – or about 450,000 Tennesseans – do not have any health coverage, largely because they cannot afford it, according to a recent University of Tennessee study.
Is expanding Medicaid the solution?
Bill Lee: “Expanding Medicaid is not the solution. Federal dollars with strings attached is not free money, and expanding a government program without first addressing rising costs is not the right approach for our state.
Is there a shortage of doctors in rural areas?
There are often severe doctor shortages in rural areas, and gaps in insurance coverage if patients have insurance at all. And, several studies show that rural hospitals are closing at a faster rate in states that chose not to expand Medicaid coverage to poor residents under Obamacare.
Does Tennessee expand Medicaid?
Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, said state lawmakers have only worsened this problem by refus ing to expand Medicaid — which would extend insurance coverage in rural areas — and by cutting existing state insurance programs.
