Casual Observation

5 Comments

1. 

   rikyrah on August 28, 2013 at 1:52 pm

   caution about Michigan. Found this in the comments at BJ about this ‘ expansion’:

   ArchTeryx says:

    August 27, 2013 at 9:33 pm

   I hate to be the one to rain on the parade, but it’s really just bad news disguised as good news. You might want to note this:

   What they passed is in no way a clean Medicaid expansion. Quite the opposite:
    It attached a bunch of poison pills that make it not-Medicaid: co-pays, deductibles, work requirements, instant cutoffs. fixed periods of eligibility, I.e., to make Medicaid look exactly like unemployment insurance. The trouble is, that is NOT Medicaid in any way, and there’s no way that HHS grants a wavier and lets THAT horse out of the barn. Sebelius has already denied waivers for far fewer shenanigans then Michigan is trying to pull with what they call “Medicaid.”

   Either all the poison pill amendments get stripped out in committee, or the whole thing becomes a Kabuki dance that changes nothing, but lets the Rs point the finger at Obama when Medicaid actually fails to get expanded.

   I’m watching this story VERY closely. As an unemployed Ph.D. with chronic health issues, it is THE determining factor whether I leave this state. I have a dog in this hunt. It’s called my life.

   • 

     BooMan on August 28, 2013 at 2:09 pm

     The Medicaid expansion would extend to people who fall within 133% of the federal poverty level and would be fully paid for by the federal government through 2017. The federal contribution would drop to 90% by 2020.

     Currently, most of the state’s 1.9 million Medicaid recipients are children, adults with disabilities and the extremely poor. The expansion would open up the program to many low-income working Michiganders — the so-called working poor — who have no health insurance, but who will be required to get coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

     The bill requires the additional recipients to contribute 5% of their out-of-pocket medical costs. After 48 months, that co-pay would increase to 7% or the recipient could purchase insurance on the health care exchange.

     However, if a person who falls in that poverty level is determined to be “medically frail” — either with a chronic disease, mental illness or are unable to complete the daily tasks of life — they would remain at the 5% co-pay.

     The federal government will have to grant waivers to Michigan for two of the provisions of the bill, the creation of health savings accounts for Medicaid recipients and language that allows recipients to choose between a health care exchange or Medicaid benefits after 48 months. But state health officials have said they’re confident the waivers will be granted.

     link.

     • 

       IL JimP on August 28, 2013 at 7:20 pm

       How can anyone who qualifies for Medicaid have enough money for a health savings account and why would anyone choose the exchange over Medicaid?

   • 

     cruzy on August 28, 2013 at 4:49 pm

     Minnesota welcomes him/her 🙂

     MNSure is on it’s way. Complete with Paul Bunyan injuring his crotch in ads.

     Seriously, though, the problem with screwing with the medicaid expansion is that people on medicaid often don’t have enough money to move. So unfortunately, many folks will be trapped by these idiots.

2. 

   Parallax on August 28, 2013 at 8:14 pm

   I guess Michigan didn’t hear that her Royal Highness, Sarah Palin, is against this.