Drumbeat Grows For Medicaid Expansion After High Court Upholds Health Law Again
Health industry and consumer groups continue to push for Medicaid expansion in the 21 states that opted not to expand eligibility under the health law, reports Stateline. Meanwhile, Montana faces tough negotiation with federal officials over its expansion plan, and a small Ohio program might serve as a model for Georgia.
Stateline:
On Medicaid Expansion, A Question Of Math And Politics
With its ruling in King v. Burwell last month, the U.S. Supreme Court likely settled the question of whether President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act will survive. Whether and when the health law will be fully implemented in all 50 states is a different question. ... But in the mostly Southern and Midwestern states that have rejected expansion, opposition shows little sign of abating. (Vestal, 7/8)
Kaiser Health News:
Montana Could Face Tough Bargaining With Federal Officials On Medicaid Expansion Plan
Montana’s blueprint for expanding Medicaid on terms that are palatable to the fragile bipartisan legislative majority that passed an expansion law earlier this year has been released for public comment before it is formally submitted to federal officials. A leading expert on Medicaid waivers, however, says Montana is unlikely to get exactly what it wants. (Whitney, 7/9)
Georgia Health News:
A Good Omen For Georgia Medicaid Plan?
An Ohio program that gave insurance to thousands of low-income patients helped them improve on health measures and also produced unexpectedly low costs, according to a study published Tuesday. Those findings may have a significant impact in Georgia. State officials are considering a proposal from Grady Health System in Atlanta to extend coverage to uninsured Georgians through a special Medicaid “waiver.’’ Grady officials say the waiver program would be modeled after the Cleveland MetroHealth Care Plus program. (Miller, 7/8)
Texas News Service:
Next: Expanding Health Coverage
The latest U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has created a new wave of activism. Texas health advocates are working to close the health care coverage gap for the state's 1.5 million uninsured adults. Anne Dunkelberg, associate director of Center for Public Policy Priorities, says working families are paying the price for the state's decision not to expand Medicaid coverage. She says a family of four earning $25,000 a year, considered above the poverty line, can pay as little as $45 a month for coverage with federal subsidies. (Galatas, 7/8)
Meanwhile, Arkansas moves forward with plans to create a state exchange -
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:
For Health Exchange, Tech Code To Be Copy
In establishing its health insurance exchange for individual consumers, an Arkansas board will seek to copy computer code from another state's enrollment system rather than building its own code from scratch, the board decided Wednesday. At a meeting in Little Rock, the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace board also unanimously approved a name -- My Arkansas Insurance -- and a logo for the exchanges it is creating for individuals and small businesses. The logo features a pinwheel pattern, representing a colorful umbrella, inside an outline of the state's borders. (Davis, 7/9)