Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Popcorn State Expansion

On February 1, 2015 Indiana will become the 28th state to expand Medicaid. Good news (I suppose) for
those under 138% of the FPL. No more insurance premiums.

But you may have trouble finding a doctor. This is nothing new nor indigenous to Indiana. Medicaid participants in all states have trouble finding doctors willing to take them as new (or even old) patients.
About 765,600 Hoosiers lacked insurance in 2013, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The state has estimated more than 300,000 Hoosiers — or 56 percent of those newly eligible for Medicaid — could enroll in the first year and more than 400,000 would sign up during the second year. - Indy Star
Agents that wrote Obamacare subsidized plans on those under 138% of the FPL can probably expect to lose those clients ....... and the revenue.

How is the expansion funded?
The federal government pays for 100 percent of the cost through 2016. That declines gradually to 90 percent by 2020, assuming Indiana's waiver is extended past three years. Indiana's share — estimated to be about $1.6 billion between 2015 and 2021 — will be paid for through the state's existing cigarette tax and from a tax on hospitals.
Funded by the federal government, which doesn't have any money.

And funded by smokers and hospitals.

Increasing the cost of cigarettes probably isn't bad in the big scheme of things but taxes on hospitals will increase the cost of health care. How is this a good thing?

So, what is a Hoosier any way? I have heard it comes from "Hoosier mama" which I suppose is a version of "Yo mama".

Regardless, I wonder if this is a good thing or not.
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