States must commit to fully expanding their Medicaid programs to take advantage of generous funding in the federal health care law, the Obama administration said Monday. The ruling affects a federal-state program that covers nearly 60 million low-income and severely disabled people, caught in a tug-of-war between Republican governors and the Democratic administration.
President Barack Obama’s health care law expanded Medicaid to cover people up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $15,400 for an individual. The change mainly affects low-income adults without children at home, as well as low-income parents who can’t get coverage under current Medicaid rules. …
But some governors said Medicaid was already straining their state budgets to a breaking point, and the Supreme Court in June gave states the right to opt out of the expansion. Since the court decision, Republican governors have been asking if they can do a partial expansion. …
(Excerpt) Read more at bigstory.ap.org ...
