Resources

ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE (Medicaid expansion) February 2013 — For decades, the bishops have consistently insisted that access to decent health care is a basic safeguard of human life and an affirmation of human dignity from conception until natural death. They have advocated that health care reform legislation should 1) ensure access to quality, affordable, life giving health care for all; 2) retain longstanding requirements that federal funds not be used for elective abortions or plans that include them, and effectively protects conscience rights; and 3) protect the access to health care that immigrants currently have and remove current barriers to access.

FACES OF THE MEDICAID EXPANSION: How Obtaining Medicaid Coverage Impacts Low-Income Adults — The Affordable Care Act (ACA) seeks to fill the longstanding gap in Medicaid coverage for low-income adults by expanding eligibility to a minimum floor of 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL), or $24,344 for a family of 3 in 2012. However, the Supreme Court ruling on the ACA effectively made implementation of the Medicaid expansion a state choice. If a state does not expand Medicaid, poor uninsured adults in that state will not gain access to a new affordable coverage option and will likely remain uninsured. To provide insight into the potential impacts of expanding Medicaid, this report highlights the experiences of adults in California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and the District of Columbia, which all have already expanded Medicaid to adults. Based on focus groups and interviews with previously uninsured adults who recently gained Medicaid coverage in these states, it examines the personal impacts gaining coverage had on individuals’ health, finances, employment, and overall well- being.

Medicaid Expansion: An Opportunity to Invest in Louisiana’s Workforce — More than 240,000 working Louisianans would gain health coverage in 2014 if the state were to take advantage of an historic opportunity to expand its Medicaid program. The vast majority of the cost—93 percent over the first decade—would be paid by the federal government, making it an excellent deal for the state.

Medicaid Expansion Generates Significant Savings that Offset Cost — A report by the Louisiana Budget Project looks at the significant savings that the state would realize if Louisiana were to accept billions of federal dollars that are available to extend Medicaid coverage to as many as 400,000 low-income adults beginning in 2014.

National and State Specific Resources from the National Health Law Program — The Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but limiting the federal government’s enforcement authority with respect to the Medicaid expansion, is raising a number of issues, including how health reform implementation moves forward if some states refuse to expand their Medicaid programs. NHeLP and a number of national and state advocates are working with the Administration to address these concerns.

New Census Data Confirms Medicaid Expansion is Crucial for Working Louisianans — New 2011 Census data gives another detailed picture of how Louisiana would benefit from expanding Medicaid to cover low-income adults, and shows yet again that health-care reform is a great opportunity to invest in Louisiana’s workforce.

Patients and Clinics in New Orleans Area to be Hit Hard by Jindal Budget — While the fate of the LSU public hospital system will be front-and-center when legislators begin their review of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive budget next month, another health care issue looms that could have long-term implications for New Orleans-area patients and health-care providers.

Polling: Public Wants States to Use Federal Funds to Cover Uninsured Through Medicaid — Public opinion polling released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) shows that registered voters in key states want their state to accept federal funds that are available to broaden access to health coverage through Medicaid, a move that would enable millions of currently uninsured people nationwide to get lifesaving preventive care and treatments for cancer and other serious diseases.

Presentation: Louisiana and the Affordable Care Act — The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the topic of a presentation made by LBP analyst Steve Spires. The presentation focuses on ways Louisianans will benefit from the health care reform.