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Stereotypes of America’s poor explain why some states refuse to expand Medicaid [CenterForHealthJournalism.org]

 

Last week the Senate succeeded in passing legislation that essentially guts the Affordable Care Act and wipes out Medicaid expansion. While the president is expected to veto the bill, the Senate’s action shows that the program could be in danger come the next administration. The anticipated expansion has not occurred in 20 states, which have deprived some of the poorest Americans of health care. Recall that the Affordable Care Act envisioned that Americans with incomes below the poverty line would not be eligible for subsidies in the state shopping exchanges because states would instead provide Medicaid benefits, with federal dollars paying most of the tab. When the Supreme Court declared in 2012 that states didn’t have to provide the coverage, half refused, and ever since those for and against Medicaid expansion have been locked in a battle royal.

Eduardo Porter’s recent New York Times column got me thinking about Medicaid, legislators’ antipathy to the program, and why.

Porter argues that election rhetoric has so far swirled around helping the middle class while “ignoring the Americans who need their attention the most: the deeply, persistent poor.” Grim numbers framed his argument. One in 20 Americans or about 16 million people have incomes below 50 percent of the poverty line — living on about $8.60 per person per day for a family a four. Even more startling is the news that this group of poor Americans has grown by six million over the last 50 years. “No other advanced nation tolerates this depth of deprivation,” Porter wrote.    



[For more of this story, written by Trudy Lieberman, go to http://www.centerforhealthjour...fuse-expand-medicaid]

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