Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Low Obamacare Premiums to Soften Blow for Those Losing Medicaid

Ganny Belloni
March 16, 2023, 5:44 PM

CMS will take active role during Medicaid eligibility checks

All states required to take 14 months to complete checks

One-third of the millions of individuals expected to lose Medicaid coverage as eligibility checks resume this spring will qualify for Affordable Care Act coverage with low or no premiums, a top Medicaid official said.

The Department of Health and Human Services believes the majority of those whose Medicaid eligibility will be redetermined will remain eligible, and the government is actively collaborating with states to make sure beneficiaries don’t lose coverage because of administrative issues, Daniel Tsai, director of the federal Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, said Thursday in an interview with reporters

see full article at :

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/low-obamacare-premiums-to-soften-blow-for-those-losing-medicaid

#AffordableCareAct #DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices #CenterforMedicaidandCHIPServices #DanielTsai #Medicaid #CMS

What Will Sequestration Mean for People with Disabilities?

Excerpt from: Down Syndrome Daily (click for full article)

 

A series of automatic, across-the-board cuts to federal government spending totaling $1.2 trillion over the course of 10 years are set to take effect this Friday, March 1. Dubbed “sequestration” these cuts, if implemented, will be split between defense and domestic discretionary spending. 

The National Council on Disability (NCD) urges the Executive Branch and Congress to find a responsible alternative to sequestration to prevent potential harm to Americans with disabilities and their families.

For Americans with disabilities, this means everything from special education to transportation, to housing and health care programs will “feel the pinch” due to the precarious collision of across-the-board cuts and unforeseen circumstances.

The sequester would place tens of thousands of Americans with disabilities at greater risk for hunger and homelessness, endanger the education of millions of children with disabilities and delay employment services and disability benefits for scores of people with disabilities – including disabled veterans -- who are, on average, already at greater risk of poverty.

 

'Obama' explains sequester effects on Saturday Night Live

Excerpt from: Don't Mess with Taxes (click for full article)

 

We're starting our first full week of sequestration 2013. Before the $85 billion in spending cuts kicked in on March 1, the White House issued fact sheets detailing what sequester might mean to each state.

For folks who haven't read those predictions yet, Saturday Night Live's Obama, portrayed by Jay Pharoah, boils down what areas might suffer in this weekend's opening skit.

Michigan still undecided on expanding Medicaid coverage

Excerpt from: Detroit Free Press (click for full article)

 

When Gov. Rick Snyder reveals his budget priorities Thursday, there will be one big item with few new dollars attached -- at least not for the coming fiscal year.

The state has to decide whether it will move forward with a federal plan to expand coverage of Medicaid to about 470,000 additional uninsured, low-income residents.

Currently, 1.9 million adult Michiganders receive Medicaid benefits. But under the Affordable Care Act -- often referred to as Obamacare by critics -- nearly 500,000 more could be eligible for the assistance.

That's because the ACA would expand coverage to people within 133% of the federal poverty level: $11,702 for a single person with no children, $23,021 for a family of four.

Health Care Industry Anxiously Awaiting Fiscal Cliff Outcome With Medicare, Medicaid Cuts On The Line

Excerpt from: Huffington Post (click for full article)

 

Cuts are coming, says Washington, and some could be really big. Yet more government spending is also being promised as President Barack Obama's health care overhaul advances and millions of uninsured people move closer to getting government-subsidized coverage.

"Imagine a person being told they are going to get a raise, but their taxes are also going to go up and they are going to be paying more for gas," said Thornton Kirby, president of the South Carolina Hospital Association. "They don't know if they are going to be taking home more or less. That's the uncertainty when there are so many variables in play."

Real money is at stake for big hospitals and small medical practices alike. Government at all levels pays nearly half the nation's health care tab, with federal funds accounting for most of that.

The Fiscal Cliff: What Autism Advocates Should Know

Excerpt from: Autism Society (click for more information)

 

This month, I was invited to attend a meeting of disability leaders at the White House on the possible implications of the fiscal cliff for individuals with disabilities. The Autism Society was the only autism-specific organization represented at this meeting of nationally known and respected disability organizations.

At the meeting, White House staff provided a detailed briefing on the current national debate regarding the fiscal cliff.  The fiscal cliff is the term for the impending crisis facing the federal government on December 31, when close to $500 billion in tax savings will end through the expiration of previously approved tax cuts. Simultaneously, the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) will take effect resulting in $500 billion in legislatively mandated cuts. These two events occurring in concert are being referred to as the fiscal cliff.

Given the enormity of these two events, the Autism Society is calling for the President and Congress to take action in order to steer the nation away from this fiscal cliff. In order to avoid this fiscal crisis, there is general agreement that two legislative actions must occur: a revenue increase for government and a decrease in government spending. Magnifying the enormity of this task is a fragile economy that would be profoundly affected by the lack of a federal government response.

Medicaid cut cuts deep into community pharmacies

Excerpt from: Vermilion Today (click for full article)

 

If community pharmacies were waiting for things to get better with the Department of Health and Hospital’s (DHH) new plan for Medicaid reimbursement, they probably have realized by now things aren’t getting better; they’re getting worse.

Alterations to the DHH’s changes have been made, and still, pharmacies can only scratch their heads and try to figure out what they can do to make sure they do not suffer huge financial losses and keep their doors open.

“It’s almost like ‘What can we do’,” said Brandy Freed, owner of The Medicine Shoppe in Crowley. “We have to roll with the punches.

“All you can do right now is try to increase business to try and make up for it. That’s what we’re doing.”

The state’s health chief said last week that revisions made in response to pharmacies’ complaints should quell the backlash.

They didn’t. Instead, it seems the changes themselves are “horrible” as Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association President Randal Johnson dubbed the amended plan that began Thursday, Nov. 1. The roughly 500 members of the association are not affiliated with the big chain store pharmacies.

Medicaid, education will top state lawmakers' agenda in January

Excerpt from: Star-Telegram (click for full article)

 

The first order of business when the Legislature convenes Jan. 8 will be to make up for a $4.3 billion budget deficit by March, when funding will run out for Medicaid, the healthcare for the poor, elderly and disabled.

Comptroller Susan Combs has forecast $5 billion in unexpected revenue this two-year budget cycle, so covering the tab should be relatively easy.

The next two-year budget, though, will present a bigger challenge, with the Department of Health and Human Services expecting Medicaid costs to increase more than $7 billion.

Lawmakers will also need to find cash for increased enrollment in public schools, something they did not pay for last session, resulting in a $5.4 billion reduction in school funding, the first such cut since the Great Depression. More than 600 school districts have sued the Legislature, saying it has a constitutional mandate to pay adequately for public schools. Most observers expect them to win that suit, but it could be years before the case works its way through the appeals process.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/07/4396561/medicaid-education-will-top-state.html#storylink=cpy