Everyday People Matter
The Congressional Budget Office projects that recent tax cut legislation and spending packages will increase the federal deficit by $139 billion, raising it to $804 billion in 2018. In December Congress passed a 1.5 trillion tax-cut package and early in 2018 approved a $400 billion budget. The CBO projects the US will return to a trillion dollar deficit by next…
Last Thursday, the Trump Administration invited states to add a work requirement to Medicaid eligibility. States and the federal government jointly fund Medicaid, but states are responsible for running it. The federal government cannot impose work requirements without Congressional approval. However, states can impose a work requirement by requesting a waiver from the regulations for new programs that carry out…
Today, the United States Senate released its draft legislation designed to “repeal and replace” Obamacare (also known as The Affordable Care Act). What is most evident in this legislation is the massive destruction of the Medicaid program. Medicaid is the single largest healthcare program in the United States. Medicaid serves one in five Americans. Medicaid covers not only poor individuals,…
Now that the election is over, and we know that the Affordable Care Act is here to stay, Georgia must decide whether it intends to expand its Medicaid program. This summer, the United States Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act as constitutional, but left open the possibility for states to opt out of expanding their Medicaid program. Budget analysts…
In previous posts, I reported how Georgia was considering an overhaul of Medicaid this summer to account for anticipated budget shortfalls. However, last week’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will likely cause the state to put off an overhaul while it contemplates the expansion of Medicaid eligibility in Georgia. Under the ACA, Medicaid is expanded to cover those…
I decided not to abandon yesterday’s topic on the budget shortfalls of Medicaid because so much remains to be said regarding this. In my practice, I frequently am asked about fraudulent claims. It seems everyone jumps to the handy conclusion that anyone applying for Social Security benefits must be gaming the system. This public perception has absolutely nothing to do…