News about poverty and homelessness
Many homeless people are uninsured and ineligible for Medicaid. But that will change beginning in 2014, when Medicaid greatly expands under the new health law. Kevin Lindamood, Health Care for the Homeless’ Vice President for External Affairs is hopeful that additional Medicaid funding will allow the center to provide more care and help expand its efforts to find housing and jobs for clients.
The interview was produced by Kaiser Health News.
Connecticut First in Nation to Expand Medicaid Coverage to New Groups Under the Affordable Care Act
This week, Connecticut became the first state in the union – hopefully the first of many – to expand Medicaid coverage to new groups under the Affordable Care Act. HCH has encouraged Maryland to join Connecticut by expanding Medicaid to single childless adults ahead of the 2014 mandate. By expanding now, Maryland would receive a 50% match on funds until 2014, when the federal government would fully fund newly-eligible individuals. A thoughtful cost analysis might prove that expanding early could save Maryland millions of dollars at a time when every dime counts. Our clients can’t wait until 2014 for health care.
Click here to read The New York Times article, “Medicaid Cut Places States in Budget Bind.”
Not only are states expected to be improving their Medicaid systems so about 20 million new patients can be added in 4 years (hopefully earlier in some areas), but we are also trying to build a health care workforce to meet these additional needs. These types of reductions only worsen the existing shortcomings of the entire health system. Congress needs to understand the ramifications of not extending the higher rate assistance to states. The irony here is vast, we can’t tear down and build up at the same time.
Kevin Lindamood, Vice President for External Affairs, recently delivered an address marking the 25th Anniversary of Health Care for the Homeless during the 2010 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference and Policy Symposium in San Fransisco, California. The address reviews the significance of health reform for people experiencing homelessness and suggests that efforts to end homelessness must move beyond the targeted and incremental approaches of the past two decades.
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued at statement that states have the option to implement Medicaid expansions ahead of the Federal time-line of 2014. http://www.cms.gov/smdl/downloads/SMD10005.PDF
