Medicare Blog

what is the medicare expansion?

by Jessyca O'Keefe V Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Medicare expansion refers to broadening the benefits of the program, as the parts in which beneficiaries enroll through the government provide limited coverage. Throughout the years, extensions of the program have been uncommon, with one of the most notable instances being coverage of disabled individuals under 65.Nov 9, 2021

Full Answer

What states have expanded Medicare?

Which states have expanded Medicaid? As of 2021, Medicaid has been expanded in 38 states and DC (you can click on a state on this map for more information about each state): Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada

What Medicaid expansion really is?

The Far-Reaching Benefits of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion

  • Increased Health Coverage. ...
  • Better Access to Health Care. ...
  • Better Health Outcomes, Including Fewer Premature Deaths. ...
  • More Financial Security and Opportunities for Economic Mobility. ...
  • Lower Uncompensated Care Costs. ...
  • Stronger Response to COVID-19. ...

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. Advocates for expanding Medicaid in Kansas staged a protest outside the entrance to the statehouse parking garage in Topeka in May 2019.

Does Medicaid expansion have an impact?

While the studies do not account for every possible impact, all find that the net cost of Medicaid expansion is well below the sticker price. In many cases, researchers have found that Medicaid expansion generates enough savings and/or new revenue to more than offset a state’s share of the cost.

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What is the Biden Medicare expansion?

The Medicare expansion in President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion spending plan included fewer new benefits than some Democrats had hoped for. Medicare benefits would be expanded to include hearing coverage under a framework for a $1.75 trillion spending plan released by President Joe Biden on Thursday.

What is in Medicare expansion bill?

The expansion of Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision is supported by 84% of the public and is one of the most important provisions in Build Back Better. It's what the American people want and, after waiting over 50 years, what they are going to get.

Will Medicare be expanded to age 60?

The Presidents Proposal for Medicare at 60 Besides a proposal to offer a public health insurance option similar to Medicare, President Biden has mentioned the importance of lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60. This was part of his health care reform platform during the presidential race.

What was the purpose of the Medicare program?

Medicare provides health insurance coverage to individuals who are age 65 and over, under age 65 with certain disabilities, and individuals of all ages with ESRD. Medicaid provides medical benefits to groups of low-income people, some who may have no medical insurance or inadequate medical insurance.

What is the downside of Medicaid expansion?

Very few studies reported that Medicaid expansion was associated with negative consequences, such as increased wait times for appointments—and those studies tended to use study designs not suited for determining cause and effect.

Did the Medicare for All Act of 2021 pass?

Additionally, over 50 cities and towns across America have passed resolutions endorsing Medicare for All. The Medicare for All Act of 2021 is also endorsed by 300 local, state, and national organizations that represent nurses, doctors, business owners, unions, and racial justice organizations.

Is Medicare changing to 62?

More than 125 House lawmakers introduced legislation Friday that lowers the Medicare eligibility age to 60 from 65. The Improving Medicare Coverage Act — led by Reps.

Will the Medicare age be raised to 67?

3 The retirement age will remain 66 until 2017, when it will increase in 2-month increments to 67 in 2022. Several proposals have suggested raising both the normal retirement age and the Medicare eligibility age.

Will Medicare be available at age 62?

Medicare is health insurance coverage for people age 65 and older. Most people will not qualify for Medicare at age 62.

How do you explain Medicare?

Medicare is the federal government program that provides health care coverage (health insurance) if you are 65+, under 65 and receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for a certain amount of time, or under 65 and with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

Does everyone get Medicare?

Generally, Medicare is available for people age 65 or older, younger people with disabilities and people with End Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant). Medicare has two parts, Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medicare Insurance).

What would happen without Medicare?

Payroll taxes would fall 10 percent, wages would go up 11 percent and output per capita would jump 14.5 percent. Capital per capita would soar nearly 38 percent as consumers accumulated more assets, an almost ninefold increase compared to eliminating Medicare alone.

What is Medicaid expansion?

A provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) called for the expansion of Medicaid eligibility in order to cover more low-income Americans. Under th...

Why are there some states that haven't implemented Medicaid expansion?

The ACA called for Medicaid expansion nationwide. But in June 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that states could not be forced to expand their Medicai...

How is Medicaid expansion funded?

The federal government is financing most of the cost of expanding Medicaid, and a small portion is being paid by participating states. The costs fo...

How many people are enrolled in coverage due to Medicaid expansion?

As of 2019, there were about 10 million people who had become newly eligible for Medicaid due to the ACA's expanded eligibility guidelines. But the...

What is the Medicaid coverage gap?

In the states that have not expanded Medicaid, there's a coverage gap that leaves about 2.2 million people ineligible for any sort of affordable co...

Which states have expanded Medicaid?

As of 2022, Medicaid has been expanded in 38 states and DC (you can click on a state on this map for more information about each state):AlaskaArizo...

Which states have refused to expand Medicaid?

As of 2022, the following states have not yet accepted federal funding to expand Medicaid:AlabamaFloridaGeorgiaKansasMississippiNorth CarolinaSouth...

What is the ACA expansion?

A provision in the Affordable Care Act ( ACA) called for expansion of Medicaid eligibility in order to cover more low-income Americans. Under the expansion, Medicaid eligibility would be extended to adults up to age 64 with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (133 percent plus a 5 percent income disregard).

Which states have Medicaid expansion?

Five states — Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee — account for the lion’s share of the coverage gap population, and they are among the 14 states where expansion is still a contentious issue and the legislature and/or governor are still strongly opposed to accepting federal funding to expand Medicaid.

How much is Medicaid coverage in 2020?

That will gradually decrease to 90 percent by 2020, but will not go below that amount. As of 2019, official Medicaid data put the total newly-eligible enrollment at about 10 million.

How many states have expanded Medicaid?

Thirty-six states and DC have either already expanded Medicaid under the ACA or are in the process of doing so. Fourteen states continue to refuse to adopt Medicaid expansion, despite the fact that the federal government will always pay 90% of the cost.

How many people are on medicaid in 2019?

As of 2019, official Medicaid data put the total newly-eligible enrollment at about 10 million . Total enrollment in Medicaid/CHIP has increased by 26 percent since 2013, although enrollment growth is much higher than that average (34.4 percent) if we only consider states that have expanded Medicaid.

Medicare vs. Medicaid Expansion

While many states have expanded their Medicaid programs, the process for doing the same with Medicare would be very different. Medicaid is government health insurance for those with low incomes, which the federal and state governments collectively manage.

Who Pays for Medicare Expansion?

Medicare primarily receives funding through payroll taxes. Thus, more tax revenue will be necessary for an expansion to be possible.

FAQs

No state has the power to expand Medicare, as it is a federal program. However, states are able to expand their Medicaid programs within federal guidelines.

What is in the Medicare expansion?

Medicare was first introduced in 1965 for people ages 65 and over, regardless of income, medical history, or health status. Over the years it has been expanded and now provides healthcare to over 60 million older people and younger people with disabilities.

Progressives dig in their heels over including Medicare expansion

As the Democrats’ spending bill gets whittled down, currently in the ballpark of $2 trillion, progressives in the House and Senate have been vocal about the idea of leaving the Medicare expansion out of the final deal.

Cost of Medicare expansion would be offset by allowing negotiation of drug prices

In order to offset the cost of the Medicare expansion Democrats have also included legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Senator Manchin supports this idea but the other holdout vote in the Senate, Senator Kyrsten Sinema does not, further complicating matters.

What percentage of income is eligible for Marketplace Plan?

If your expected yearly income increases so it’s between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL), you become eligible for a Marketplace plan with advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC). If your income increases to above 400% FPL, you may still qualify for savings.

What is the poverty level for Medicaid?

When the health care law was passed, it required states to provide Medicaid coverage for all adults 18 to 65 with incomes up to 133% (effectively 138%) of the federal poverty level, regardless of their age, family status, or health. The law also provides premium tax credits for people with incomes between 100% and 400% of ...

Why didn't I qualify for medicaid?

Weren’t eligible for Medicaid when you first applied because you live in a state that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Weren’t eligible for a Marketplace plan with tax credits when you first applied because your income was too low.

Can I apply for medicaid if my state hasn't expanded?

Even if your state hasn't expanded Medicaid and it looks like your income is below the level to qualify for financial help with a Marketplace plan, you should fill out a Marketplace application.

Is Medicaid expansion voluntary?

The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that the Medicaid expansion is voluntary with states. As a result, some states haven’t expanded their Medicaid programs. Adults in those states with incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level, and who don’t qualify for Medicaid based on disability, age, or other factors, fall into a gap.

Can I qualify for medicaid if I have expanded my Medicaid?

Others haven’t. Whether you qualify for Medicaid coverage depends partly on whether your state has expanded its program. In all states: You can qualify for Medicaid based on income, household size, disability, family status, and other factors. Eligibility rules differ between states. In states that have expanded Medicaid coverage: You can qualify ...

Do you have to pay for low cost medical care?

See how to get low-cost care in your community. If you don’t have any coverage, you don’t have to pay the fee. For plan years through 2018, most people must have health coverage or pay a fee. But you won’t have to pay this fee if you live in a state that hasn’t expanded Medicaid and you would have qualified if it had.

What Medicaid expansion means and why it matters

Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C. have adopted Medicaid expansion providing much-needed health care to low income families. Here’s what you need to know about the health care program.

Status of Medicaid Expansion Decisions

A 2012 Supreme Court decision gave all states the option to not expand Medicaid eligibility, but 12 states continue to refuse, including eight southern states. The American Rescue Plan passed earlier this year included financial incentives to encourage expansion, but those 12 still haven’t wavered.

Paths diverge after Louisiana expands Medicaid in 2016

More than 20% of adults, younger than 65, in Madison Parish and Jefferson County were uninsured prior to the Affordable Care Act. Uninsured rates dove in Madison Parish after Louisiana expanded Medicaid in 2016. Louisiana saw an uptick when it launched a new eligibility system and then-President Trump vocalized a dim view of social safety nets.

What would happen if Medicare was expanded?

This proposed Medicare expansion, based on Medicare rates and taxpayer subsidies, would further erode private health coverage—and create a new class of persons dependent on government. It would make federal taxpayers pay for private businesses’ heath care bills.

What age group is Medicare expansion?

New taxpayer subsidies for the Medicare expansion would be targeted to Americans ages 60 to 64 , or, under the Sanders’ proposal, those 55 to 64. As noted, this is an age cohort that enjoys a higher median household income than either younger working families or current Medicare beneficiaries. 11#N#Semega et al., “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019.”#N#Not only would the proposal expand government dependency down the age scale, but it would also create a new constituency for government dependency further up the income scale.

What is the age limit for Medicare?

President Joe Biden is committed to expanding the Medicare program by reducing the normal age of entitlement eligibility from 65 to 60. According to his fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget submission to Congress, the President wishes to provide Americans in the 60 to 64 age group “the option to enroll in the Medicare program with ...

How many people will be eligible for Medicare at age 60?

According to Avalere, a prominent Washington, DC–based health policy research firm, opening the Medicare program to persons between the ages of 60 and 64 could shift an estimated 24.5 million persons from existing health insurance coverage into the Medicare program. 4.

What is the expansion of government health care financing?

The expansion of government health care financing is the expansion of government power and control over Americans’ health care. That, finally, is the point of the Biden ...

Is Medicare facing financial problems?

As the Medicare Boards of Trustees have repeatedly warned, Medicare is already facing enormous financial challenges. These start with the impending insolvency of the Medicare hospital insurance (HI) trust fund in 2026, at which time the program will no longer be able to pay for all its promised benefits. Nonetheless, the bigger problem is Medicare’s cost growth, which is continuously consuming an ever-larger share of the federal budget, federal taxes, and the general economy. Regardless of Biden’s stated intention to finance the Medicare expansion outside of the existing Medicare trust fund, his proposal would nonetheless exacerbate these festering problems.

Does Biden's Medicare expansion increase taxes?

Biden’s proposed Medicare expansion would, of course, further increase that impending federal tax burden. For their part, the Medicare trustees have persistently issued warnings about the financial challenges facing the program, namely the pending insolvency of the HI trust fund and the program’s spending growth.

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