Medicaid expansion in Pennsylvania Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania

Medicaid Applications Flowing From DC to PA

Pennsylvania is now receiving Medicaid applications from the federal government’s health insurance marketplace website.
Improvements in the healthcare.gov web site have enabled the federal government to begin sending data about Medicaid-eligible applicants to a number of states, including Pennsylvania. Until now, the data had been promised but technical problems prevented the federal government from fulfilling that promise.
Read more about the process of transforming visitors to the healthcare.gov into Pennsylvania Medicaid applicants in this Reading Eagle article.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-12-26T06:00:04+00:00December 26th, 2013|Health care reform|Comments Off

Healthy PA Testimony in Pittsburgh

Thirty people testified at a recent public hearing in Pittsburgh as the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare continued its tour of the state seeking input on Governor Corbett’s Healthy Pennsylvania proposal and its Medicaid expansion component.
Among those who testified were both supporters and critics of the plan.
To learn more about the views expressed during the three-hour public hearing, read reports from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-12-24T06:00:26+00:00December 24th, 2013|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Iowa Approval Good Sign for PA?

Last week the federal government granted Iowa permission to expand its Medicaid program by enabling newly eligible residents to purchase state-approved, subsidized private health insurance.
Pennsylvania currently is planning to make a similar request, and Iowa now is the second state to be permitted to move forward in this manner. Arkansas received permission for a similar approach to Medicaid expansion in September.
While there are differences between the approved Arkansas and Iowa programs and the approach embodied in the Corbett administration’s “Healthy Pennsylvania” proposal, the Iowa approval suggests a continued willingness of the federal government to consider private insurance market alternatives to Medicaid expansion.
Learn more about the approved Iowa plan in this Kaiser Health News report.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-12-17T06:00:07+00:00December 17th, 2013|Affordable Care Act, Health care reform, Healthy PA, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

A Look at the Corbett Medicaid Proposal

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s “Healthy Pennsylvania” proposal calls for an expansion of the state’s Medicaid program as envisioned when the Affordable Care Act was passed three years ago.
Or does it?
Is it Medicaid expansion or is it something entirely different? In the article “Pennsylvania Governor Talks Up Plan To Expand Medicaid His Way,” Kaiser Health News takes a look at how elected officials, advocates, and others are viewing the recent Healthy Pennsylvania proposal. Find the article here.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-10-29T06:00:07+00:00October 29th, 2013|Affordable Care Act, Healthy PA, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Latest Edition of Health Law PA News

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has released its latest edition of its Health Law PA News newsletter.
The September 2013 edition includes articles about the launch of the federal health insurance marketplace, the new Medicaid eligibility rules that took effect on October 1, Governor Corbett’s proposed Medicaid expansion, and more.
Find the latest Health Law PA News here.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-10-23T06:00:09+00:00October 23rd, 2013|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Arkansas Medicaid Plan Gains Federal Approval; Harbinger for PA?

A bid by the state of Arkansas to expand access to Medicaid by enabling newly eligible recipients to use federal Medicaid funds to purchase health insurance has been approved by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
While the Arkansas Medicaid proposal is not identical to Governor Corbett’s recently released “Healthy Pennsylvania” plan, the two share a key common component: the use of federal Medicaid funds to enable newly eligible recipients to purchase private insurance through new health insurance exchanges that open for business on October 1.
The path to federal approval for Healthy Pennsylvania remains challenging, but the Arkansas ruling appears to be a clear sign that the federal government is receptive to one of the key components of Governor Corbett’s proposal.
To learn more about the Arkansas Medicaid plan and the federal decision to approve it, see this San Francisco Chronicle article.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-10-01T06:00:02+00:00October 1st, 2013|Affordable Care Act, Health care reform, Healthy PA, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

The Underlying Rationale For “Healthy Pennsylvania”

Reducing costs.
Sustainability.
Simplification.
These are among the reasons that members of the Corbett administration offer for why the Medicaid expansion components of the governor’s Healthy Pennsylvania proposal are structured as they are.
The online publication PA Independent talked to a number of administration officials about why they have chosen the proposed path to health care reform in the state. Read what they had to say in the article “PA looks to reform Medicaid, stave off cost increases” here, on the PA Independent web site.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-09-30T06:00:47+00:00September 30th, 2013|Affordable Care Act, Healthy PA, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Legislature to Participate in PA Medicaid Expansion Talks

The Corbett administration plans to spend the coming weeks bringing the state legislature into it Medicaid expansion deliberations.
While the administration reportedly has been working to develop a Medicaid expansion program that meets its own requirements for financial responsibility and will pass federal muster, it has been doing so largely without consulting with the state legislature, which has been in recess since early July. While legislative approval is not needed for most aspects of Medicaid expansion, Department of Public Welfare Secretary Bev Mackereth told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the administration will begin consulting with the legislature.
Medicaid expansion, originally mandated by the Affordable Care Act, was made optional for states by a Supreme Court decisions. Only about half of the states have definitively acted to expand their programs, and while Pennsylvania officials previously expressed strong opposition to expansion, they now appear on course to unveil an expansion proposal this fall.
Read more about the administration’s latest efforts, and its intention to involve the legislature, in this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report .

PA Safety Net Admin2013-09-11T06:00:19+00:00September 11th, 2013|Affordable Care Act, Health care reform, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

MAAC Meets

The Medical Assistance Advisory Committee that works with the Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare met recently in Harrisburg.
Among the subjects discussed during the meeting were the state’s recently passed budget, the Medical Assistance program, the prospects for Medicaid expansion, and more.
Read the official state file note summarizing the meeting here .

PA Safety Net Admin2013-08-07T06:00:18+00:00August 7th, 2013|Meetings and notices, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania state budget issues|Comments Off

PA Senate to Move on Medicaid Expansion

Pennsylvania state Senate leaders plan to bring a vote to expand the state’s Medicaid program to the Senate floor this week.
The bill, according to Senate leaders, will include conditions that will make it more palatable to more conservative Republicans and the governor. Democrats are already thought to support Medicaid expansion.
While the bill is considered likely to enjoy solid support in the Senate, it is not clear whether the state House is as interested in Medicaid expansion as envisioned under the federal Affordable Care Act.
The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) supports Medicaid expansion in the state.
Read more about the Senate bill, who is behind it, and what the bill says in this Centre Daily Times article .