West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced his support of an expanded Medicaid program in his state, becoming the last Democratic governor to confirm or imply his approval for the provision of the health law.
The governor, flanked by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and the CEOs of Charleston, W.Va.-based Thomas Health System and WV United Health System based in Fairmont, announced his plan to broaden Medicaid eligibility, which will insure an estimated 91,500 uninsured, low-income residents.
He expressed caution the expansion would be under careful oversight. "We must carefully watch federal efforts. If the program becomes unsustainable, particularly after three years [when full federal funding for the expansion begins to taper off to 90 percent of expansion cost], or the federal government changes its promised funding allocations, we must be prepared to take action to protect our state," he said.
The move will bring an estimated $5 billion in additional federal funds over the next 10 years and save hospitals $20 million to $30 million each year through less uncompensated care, while raising the state's expected tab for Medicaid by $375 million in the same time period. To save costs, the governor's plan would include copays for higher-income eligibles and administer coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment through managed care rather than fee-for-service.
West Virginia's current strict criteria for Medicaid eligibility caps income at only a quarter of the federal poverty line. The expansion would raise that to 138 percent of the poverty line and is expected to shrink the state's uninsured population from approximately 246,000 West Virginians, or about one-quarter of the state's population, to about 76,000, according to a presentation released by the state's Medicaid office.
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is the final remaining Democratic governor who has not officially supported Medicaid expansion, although he previously implied he favored the measure, according to an analysis by the Advisory Group and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
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The governor, flanked by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and the CEOs of Charleston, W.Va.-based Thomas Health System and WV United Health System based in Fairmont, announced his plan to broaden Medicaid eligibility, which will insure an estimated 91,500 uninsured, low-income residents.
He expressed caution the expansion would be under careful oversight. "We must carefully watch federal efforts. If the program becomes unsustainable, particularly after three years [when full federal funding for the expansion begins to taper off to 90 percent of expansion cost], or the federal government changes its promised funding allocations, we must be prepared to take action to protect our state," he said.
The move will bring an estimated $5 billion in additional federal funds over the next 10 years and save hospitals $20 million to $30 million each year through less uncompensated care, while raising the state's expected tab for Medicaid by $375 million in the same time period. To save costs, the governor's plan would include copays for higher-income eligibles and administer coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment through managed care rather than fee-for-service.
West Virginia's current strict criteria for Medicaid eligibility caps income at only a quarter of the federal poverty line. The expansion would raise that to 138 percent of the poverty line and is expected to shrink the state's uninsured population from approximately 246,000 West Virginians, or about one-quarter of the state's population, to about 76,000, according to a presentation released by the state's Medicaid office.
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is the final remaining Democratic governor who has not officially supported Medicaid expansion, although he previously implied he favored the measure, according to an analysis by the Advisory Group and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
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