Pennsylvania to Accept Federal Funds for Medicaid-Like Program

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett plans to accept federal funding to carry out a variation on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion plan, sources close to the governor have told Lancaster Newspapers.

Under the healthcare reform law, states have the option of expanding Medicaid eligibility to include all individuals — including childless adults for the first time in some states — who earn 138 percent of the federal poverty line or less. In exchange, HHS will pay 100 percent of the additional cost to insure the newly eligible beneficiaries for three years, tapering off to 90 percent beginning in 2020.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic lawmakers, hospital officials, the AARP and labor unions have pushed for Medicaid expansion. However, Republicans have said an expansion would be fiscally unsustainable for state taxpayers, according to the report. Although the state Senate approved Medicaid expansion legislation this summer, legislators in the House voted it down.

Gov. Corbett's proposal will differ from the expansion plan laid out in the PPACA, according to the report. Rather than expanding the traditional Medicaid program, the state will establish a health plan offering coverage from private insurers.

More Articles on Medicaid Expansion:
Study: Potential New Medicaid Enrollees Under PPACA Healthier Than Current Beneficiaries
Study: No Medicaid Expansion Means No New Options for Low-Income Uninsured
Michigan House Gives Final Approval of Medicaid Expansion