The Obama administration, in hopes of persuading states to expand Medicaid coverage to more people, is proposing to allow states to make recipients pay higher co-payments and other premiums, leading to higher bills for millions of low-income people.
Obamacare extended Medicaid to many people who were not eligible before, but the Supreme Court said that states would have the option, rather than be required, to expand the program to more people, the
New York Times reports. The administration said state Medicaid officials could offset the costs of expansion by charging higher co-payments and fees for doctors' care, making recipients pay more for prescription drugs and non-emergency visits to emergency rooms.
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The proposed rule, which was published Tuesday in the Federal Register, calls for simplifying standards that limit states from charging Medicaid recipients. For example, under the new proposal, a family of three with an annual income of $30,000 could be required to pay $1,500 through premiums and co-payments, the Times says.
The plan could cause some problems, said Barbara Tomar, director of federal affairs at the American College of Emergency Physicians, who noted the Obama administration has not adequately defined what constitutes “non-emergency” services. Often, she said, patients think they need emergency care when they didn't.
Charging recipients would save federal and state governments millions of dollars. With Obamacare, at least 11 million more people are expected to go on Medicaid, which already covers approximately 60 million people.
Since Obamacare passed, the administration has said people seeking insurance will use a single streamlined application for Medicaid and for federal subsidies to help pay for private coverage.
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