Here are twelve reasons states should not expand Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and personal care services. The Health Insurance As…
Full Answer
Why are states rejecting the Medicaid expansion?
By rejecting the Medicaid expansion, states encourage others to do the same, fueling the spending cycle. As states decide whether or not to expand their Medicaid programs, a principal justification is that declining to expand Medicaid means that a state’s taxpayer dollars go to fund Medicaid in other states.
Which states have expanded Medicaid since Trump took office?
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.
Why do Democrats want to end Medicaid expansion?
They don’t want to deny people access to health care. But they do want to halt expansion of a program that provides limited access to quality care while devouring state budgets. Many political leaders are demanding that Washington allow states to improve Medicaid for their most vulnerable citizens.
Will Medicaid expansion happen in Nebraska?
Expansion advocates are also turning to legal action in neighboring Nebraska, a state where voters also approved Medicaid expansion in 2018 after the state legislature refused to do so six times. Last fall the expansion began with a two-tiered system to get coverage.
How many states decided not to expand Medicaid?
12 statesNonexpansion 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. Data: Urban Institute's Health Insurance Policy Simulation Model (HIPSM), 2021.
Why was Medicaid expansion unconstitutional?
2 The most complex part of the Court's decision concerned the ACA's Medicaid expansion: a majority of the Court found the ACA's Medicaid expansion unconstitutionally coercive of states because states did not have adequate notice to voluntarily consent to this change in the Medicaid program, and all of a state's ...
Did most states opt out of Medicaid expansion?
However, with many states opting not to implement the Medicaid expansion, millions of uninsured adults remain outside the reach of the ACA and continue to have limited options for affordable health coverage. In 2019 the uninsured rate in non-expansion states was nearly double that of expansion states (15.5% vs. 8.3%).
Why was the expansion of Medicaid under the ACA not universal?
The main obstacles to achieving universal coverage are the “coverage gap” in non-Medicaid expansion states, the unaffordability of Marketplace insurance plans, and the administrative burdens faced by Medicaid applicants and recipients.
Why did the U.S. Supreme Court rule in 2012 that Medicaid expansion must be optional quizlet?
Why did the U.S. Supreme Court rule in 2012 that Medicaid expansion must be optional? Medicaid expansion was too coercive towards the states.
Why did ACA go to Supreme Court?
They claimed that in 2012 the Supreme Court had held in NFIB v. Sebelius that Congress lacked the constitutional authority to enact the ACA's individual mandate as a legal mandate, but could impose a tax on people who failed to comply. In 2017, Congress reduced the amount of the tax penalty to zero.
Why did NC not expand Medicaid?
North Carolina has an unprecedented opportunity to provide health care to those currently without insurance through Medicaid expansion. The NC General Assembly has rejected federal dollars to expand Medicaid for the last five years, repeatedly choosing politics over the health and well-being of North Carolinians.
Why has Florida not expanded 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.
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.
Why the Affordable Care Act did not work?
The Problem: Affordability The ACA set standards for “affordability,” but millions remain uninsured or underinsured due to high costs, even with subsidies potentially available. High deductibles and increases in consumer cost sharing have chipped away at the affordability of ACA-compliant plans.
Is the ACA good for the USA?
Conclusion. The ACA has helped millions of Americans gain insurance coverage, saved thousands of lives, and strengthened the health care system. The law has been life-changing for people who were previously uninsured, have lower incomes, or have preexisting conditions, among other groups.
Has the Affordable Care Act been successful?
The ACA was intended to expand options for health coverage, reform the insurance system, increase coverage for services (particularly preventive services), and provide a funding stream to improve quality of services. By any metric, it has been wildly successful. Has it improved coverage? Indisputably, yes.
What happens if one state doesn't expand Medicaid?
The expansion is an entitlement; if one state doesn’t expand, the money stays in the federal coffers (or reduces the amount Washington must borrow). 3. Medicaid’s access problems will get worse as more doctors drop out. Coverage is not the same thing as care.
Why should we not expand Medicaid?
1. Medicaid harms the poor. The Medicaid program actually harms the people it is intended to serve.
How many people would be enrolled in Medicaid by the end of the decade?
If all states were to go along with the optional Medicaid expansion, nearly 90 million people would be enrolled in the program by the end of the decade, including those newly-eligible under the ObamaCare optional expansion.
Why is Medicaid a disincentive?
Medicaid imposes a huge disincentive on the poor to find work because they fall out of the program once they start earning better incomes. If states choose not to expand Medicaid, able-bodied adults who seek work and who successfully cross the poverty line should have the option of subsidized private insurance.
How much would it cost to expand Medicaid?
Expanding Medicaid would cost states an additional $118 billion through 2023, according to a recent congressional report. [8] . The additional spending surely would crowd out funds for education, transportation, parks, public safety, and other vital state needs.
When was Medicaid created?
Medicaid — the joint federal and state program designed to finance health care for the poor — has not been fundamentally changed since it was created in 1965 . Legislators know Medicaid desperately needs to be modernized for the 21 st century, and even President Obama argued the case during the debate over ObamaCare.
How many states will see an increase in Medicaid?
Even under current spending projections, 40 states will see an increase in their costs if they expand Medicaid. After the first three years of the 100% federal match, state costs will continue to climb, dwarfing any projected savings.
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 Kaiser a good deal?
It's a good financial deal. An analysis by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that the net benefit for these states would be $9.6 billion. But, so far — publicly, at least — no states have indicated they intend to take the federal government up on its offer.
Who introduced the Cover Now Act?
The COVER Now Act, introduced by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, would empower local jurisdictions to expand Medicaid. So, if you live in Austin, Texas, maybe you could get Medicaid, even if someone in Lubbock still couldn't. The political and logistical challenges would be tough, policy analysts say.
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.
What is the coverage gap?
But for those dozen states that did not expand, their poorest citizens with incomes below the poverty line have fallen into the so-called coverage gap — a kind of insurance purgatory where they are ineligible for Medicaid and yet unable to receive subsidies to help buy marketplace insurance.
Does North Carolina have medicaid?
The only benefits she qualifies for under North Carolina’s current Medicaid program are for birth control and one physical a year. It’s hard to qualify for Medicaid in the state. A family of three making just $900 a month makes too much to qualify for Medicaid, according to Fawn Pattison, campaign director for the advocacy group NC Child.
Did Missouri expand Medicaid?
Missouri voters did actually pass a statewide referendum on Medicaid expansion there last summer, with 53% of the voters approving the measure. But so far the state legislature has refused to appropriate the needed funds to implement the law — about $130 million — to match the federal government’s contribution of $1.4 billion. In late March, GOP lawmakers in the state senate blocked the expansion funding. The talking points of the Opportunity Solutions Project also appeared in Missouri. The Project’s website asserted: “In every state that has expanded Medicaid to able-bodied adults who are capable of working, we see the same disastrous results: hospital closures, shattered enrollment projections, and unsustainable skyrocketing costs.” Dirk Deaton, a Republican vice chair of Missouri’s House Budget Committee, said the expansion gives “free health care, government health care to able-bodied adults who can do for themselves.”
Why did Governor Cooper veto the SFY 2020-2021 budget?
In 2019, Governor Cooper vetoed the SFY 2020-2021 budget passed by the Republican-controlled legislature due to omission of Medicaid expansion, and the 2019 legislative session resulted in a budget impasse.
How many states have Medicaid in 2021?
Published: Jul 09, 2021. To date, 39 states (including DC) have adopted the Medicaid expansion and 12 states have not adopted the expansion. Current status for each state is based on KFF tracking and analysis of state expansion activity. These data are available in a table format. The map may be downloaded as a PowerPoint slide.
What are the effects of Medicaid expansion?
Effects of the ACA Medicaid Expansion on Racial Disparities in Health and Health Care. The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults in States that Do Not Expand Medicaid.
What is the name of the state that will replace the state's Medicaid expansion?
Arkansas. In April 2021, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a bill passed by the Arkansas Legislature that would replace the state’s current Medicaid expansion program, Arkansas Works, with the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (HOME) program, contingent on federal approval.
Why is Medicaid not expanding in 2021?
On June 23, 2021, the judge ruled in favor of DSS, finding that the state’s refusal to expand Medicaid is not unlawful because the initiated amendment violated the state constitution by failing to provide a funding source.
When will the FPL waiver be effective?
On December 23, 2019, CMS approved certain provisions in the state’s “Fallback Plan” waiver request to amend its Primary Care Network Waiver to expand Medicaid eligibility to 138% FPL, effective January 1, 2020; the approval also included work requirements for the newly expanded adult Medicaid population. Virginia.
When will Medicaid be available in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma. Enrollment in Medicaid coverage under expansion in Oklahoma began on June 1, 2021, with coverage for these enrollees beginning on July 1, 2021. Oklahoma voters approved a ballot measure on June 30, 2020 which added Medicaid expansion to the state’s Constitution. Language in the approved measure prohibits the imposition ...
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.
Why is Gov Parson against expanding Medicaid?
Gov. Mike Parson (R-Mo.) was against expanding Medicaid in his state due to its impact on the state budget. “I don’t think it’s the time to be expanding anything in the state of Missouri right now. There’s absolutely not going to be any extra money whatsoever,” the Republican governor told the St. Louis Dispatch.
When did the Affordable Care Act pass?
When the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, many Democratic-controlled states quickly opted in to the Medicaid expansion, while Republican-run states refused. In recent years, social justice nonprofits have swooped in to pass expanded Medicaid via ballot initiatives.
Which states have not adopted Medicaid expansion?
According to a tracker provided by Kaiser Family Foundation, the 12 states that have not adopted Medicaid expansion are: 1. Alabama.
How many states have not expanded medicaid?
As of August 4th, only 12 states remain that have not expanded Medicaid services. Recently, Missouri voters approved their expansion, increasing Medicaid eligibility to low-income adults with income at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level. Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and personal care services. Nearly three-fourths of the nation has expanded Medicaid and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see its continuation.
How much of the poverty level is Medicaid?
If you or your family make less than 138% of the Federal Poverty Level and you live in one of the 38 states that expanded Medicaid, you may qualify for Medicaid making Medicaid eligibility effectively 138%, not 133% .
Is Medicaid a federal or state program?
Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and personal care services.
Who is pushing for Medicaid expansion?
Meanwhile, Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls followed President Joe Biden’s initiative by pushing to expand Medicaid for pregnant women and their babies, which will likely go through the budget process.
Is Florida buying in to Medicaid expansion?
But Florida isn’t buying in . In the past, governors and lawmakers in Florida have been opposed to Medicaid expansion.
Is Ron DeSantis on board with Medicaid?
And Gov. Ron DeSantis is still not on board, even though the giant relief package is in place and providing incentives. According to The Washington Times, DeSantis is a “hard no” on the issue. “The governor remains opposed to the expansion of Medicaid in Florida,” DeSantis spokesman Cody McCloud said in the recent Washington Times story.