South Dakota Doctors Urge Their Governor To Expand Medicaid Under Obamacare

[ProSense]

South Dakota Doctors Urge Their Governor To Expand Medicaid Under Obamacare

By Sy Mukherjee

South Dakota doctors are urging Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, warning that a failure to do so will hurt hospitals financially and raise health care costs for people with private insurance.

Current Medicaid eligibility thresholds in most states — including South Dakota — are so demanding that they disqualify even the poorest working adults from receiving coverage through the program. In South Dakota, 15 percent of the adult population lives at or below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which works out to be about $11,500 per year for an individual. But just eight percent of adults are covered by Medicaid.

Under Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, any adult making up to 138 percent FPL would be able enroll in the public health insurance program. That would end up cutting South Dakota’s uninsurance rate by more than half. Without the expansion, on the other hand, South Dakota’s poorest will have to continue relying on the emergency room for their medical services.

Doctors argue that the state’s uninsured won’t be able to afford those procedures, forcing hospitals to swallow a financial loss that they would then pass on to privately-insured consumers by charging them higher prices. “The citizens of South Dakota are going to continue to get care, but it’s going to be more expensive and it’s not going to have the same kind of outcomes,” said South Dakota State Medical Association President Dr. Daniel Heinemann in an interview with the Rapid City Journal.

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http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/21/2808391/south-dakota-doctors-medicaid/

Krugman: Lousy Medicaid Arguments
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023893672

[pipoman]

1. There are some interesting developments

in care for medicaid eligible seniors..like rapid expansion of the PACE program nationally. Right now there is a few less than 100 PACE centers, watch for that number to expand exponentially over the next couple of years. It seems to be great use of the limited medicaid funds.

[ProSense]

2. Thanks. More information on seniors now eligible for Medicaid

Affordable Care Act Provisions Relating to the Care of Dually Eligible Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries
http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8192.pdf

[pipoman]

7. Good link..

I work in the industry. The non-profit I work for was just awarded the only expansion territory in the state during this round of expansion, otherwise I wouldn't be aware of this..I just attended an initial briefing on the program..it sounds like significant cost savings for medicare/medicaid, no waiting for a spot to open up, a doctor visit at least once a week or more, peripheral care like extermination services, etc., and better patient results than nursing facilities.

[ProSense]

3. Kick! n/t

[ananda]

4. Kick 2

..

[ProSense]

5. Ohio Finalizes Medicaid Expansion At GOP Gov's Request

Ohio Finalizes Medicaid Expansion At GOP Gov's Request

An Ohio legislative board voted Monday to fund Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, the last step toward its adoption, at the request of Republican Gov. John Kasich's administration to circumvent a hostile state legislature.

The request passed the seven-member board 5-2 to fund the expansion for two years, according to the Columbus Dispatch. It will cover up to 275,000 additional low-income people.

That followed the Kasich administration request to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand the program's eligiblity, which was approved. The whole manuever could, however, be subject to legal challenges from conservatives, according to the Associated Press.

As TPM previously reported, Kasich's office sought a roundabout way to adopt the expansion after being stymied by the state legislature earlier this year. He therefore expanded the program unilaterally and then sought approval for the funding from the legislative board.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ohio-s-gop-gov-gets-medicaid-expansion-passed-by-legislative-board

[Scurrilous]

6. K & R