Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has asked the federal government to expand Medicaid coverage to Flint residents under the age of 21 and pregnant women who have been affected by the ongoing water crisis in Flint, reports Crain's Detroit Business.
If the expansion is approved, the governor expects about 15,000 more Flint residents would receive health coverage, according to the article.
"Children, teens and young adults exposed to lead need more coverage to get testing and the treatment they need," said Gov. Snyder in his official request to CMS on Sunday, reports WBT.
For 18 months, a lack of corrosion control in the drinking water system caused unsafe levels of lead to skyrocket. The governor requested Medicaid coverage be available to those under 21 or pregnant of any income level who have been served by Flint's water system between April 2014 and a future date when the water system is deemed safe, reports WBT.
The U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy will visit Flint Feb. 16 to take questions from the public, according to Crain's.
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