Keeping His Promises to the Poor and Vulnerable: Thank You, President Obama!

[freshwest]

HHS finalizes rule guaranteeing 100 percent funding for new Medicaid beneficiaries

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced a final rule with a request for comments that provides, effective January 1, 2014, the federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost of certain newly eligible adult Medicaid beneficiaries. These payments will be in effect through 2016, phasing down to a permanent 90 percent matching rate by 2020. The Affordable Care Act authorizes states to expand Medicaid to adult Americans under age 65 with income of up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (approximately $15,000 for a single adult in 2012) and provides unprecedented federal funding for these states.

“This is a great deal for states and great news for Americans,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more Americans will have access to health coverage and the federal government will cover a vast majority of the cost. Treating people who don’t have insurance coverage raises health care costs for hospitals, people with insurance, and state budgets.”

Today’s final rule provides important information to states that expand Medicaid. It describes the simple and accurate method states will use to claim the matching rate that is available for Medicaid expenditures of individuals with incomes up to 133 percent of poverty and who are defined as “newly eligible” and are enrolled in the new eligibility group. The system is set up to make eligibility determinations as simple and accurate as possible for state programs.

Under the Affordable Care Act, states that cover the new adult group in Medicaid will have 100 percent of the costs of newly eligible Americans paid for by the federal government in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The federal government’s contribution is then phased-down gradually to 90 percent by 2020, and remains there permanently. For states that had coverage expansions in effect prior to enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the rule also provides information about the availability of an increased FMAP for certain adults who are not newly eligible.

The rule builds on several years of work that HHS has done to support and provide flexibility to states’ Medicaid programs ahead of the 2014 expansion, including:

* 90 percent matching rate for states to improve eligibility and enrollment systems;

* More resources and flexibility for states to test innovative ways of delivering care through Medicaid;

* More collaboration with states on audits that track down fraud; and

* Specifically outlining ways states can make Medicaid improvements without going through a waiver process.

For more information on the improvements made to Medicaid, please visit:

http://www.medicaid.gov/State-Resource-Center/Events-and-Announcements/Downloads/MMF_Jan-Dec-2012_FINAL.PDF

For the full text of today’s final rule, please go to:

http://www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/03/20130329a.html

This is a huge relief to those who would not be covered for conditions no one can afford. I will be passing this good news along to those who have loved ones dependent on Medicaid.

This is what the GOP wanted to slash and are doing in every state that they control. It will save the lives of many people we may never meet, but they are our fellow sojourners.

Thanks to ProSense for finding this story and letting me post it here. She posted it in GD, where you can see it here:

HHS finalizes rule guaranteeing 100 percent funding for new Medicaid beneficiaries

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2584523

[In_The_Wind]

1. That is wonderful news!

[freshwest]

2. Thanks, ITW. With tears I posted it. These folks are often forgotten, but deserve help.

[In_The_Wind]

3. I agree, they do need help. You are so sweet, please dry your tears.

Help really is on the way this time.

[sheshe2]

4. Thank you for posting this here,

and for the link to ProSense's post.

I know, I truly know the difference this will make in so many lives! My dad's included.

Tears of joy can be a sweet thing, freshwest. I love the title:

"Keeping His Promises to the Poor and Vulnerable: Thank You, President Obama!"

BOG To our President. He is change that we can believe in!

[freshwest]

5. +1

[graham4anything]

6. Thank you freshwest for posting, and thank you President Obama. Simply the best.

[freshwest]

7. Simply the best...President in my lifetime. What a relief for so many people this is.

[Cha]

8. This is Excellent news for People all over our Country

who can't afford to pay medical care when they get sick. You never know when something is going to come out of nowhere and you find yourself needing all these procedures that cost so much money.

Thank you for posting this in the BOG, freshwest. And, thanks to ProSense for the OP.

[freshwest]

9. And it prevents bankruptcy over medical care and losing one's home.

[IrishAyes]

10. Great news indeed

But then, I've learned to expect the best from this man.

Thanks for posting that picture, too. I'm adding it to my screensaver rotation, among many other favorites of President Obama. Anytime I expect to be on a potential long telephone hold, I make sure the computer's on and just watch the show while waiting.

[freshwest]

11. Wow, that's a great idea. Check my Journal for more to add to your collection.

[IrishAyes]

12. Glad you don't mind

And I appreciate the offer to borrow from your own collection. There's a picture of the first Inauguration Ball on the upright piano in my living room - I actually bought an 11x14 print of that one because I wanted it in a prominent place to enjoy every day. I'll visit your journal tomorrow if that's okay; been wanting to read it anyhow. Since joining this group I haven't been in attendance very much because of so much going on in my life right now. But I want to browse more often starting tomorrow.

Anyone's welcome to check out my journal and profile as well. I didn't join DU to be a stranger.

While it's no excuse, I've been working on fitting a new puppy into our 2-pack, and just dragging her back from the threshold of death took all my time for several days. At 3 months old she was 8" tall at the shoulder when the rescue group brought her to me, and weighed less than 4 lbs - too weak to lift herself up the 6" risers on the front steps.

Then I made the mistake of jumping into a pet group thread involving pit bull lovers vs. nots, and wrestled with them for a few days. So many people just go off their nuts on that subject. Pray I can keep out of the next dustup, because I might get a little testier there than I should; and people never seem to change their minds AT ALL, so it's pretty much a dead end. Very few listen to what anyone else is saying or tries to understand why.

But I'm going to try to catch up on some of the more recent posts in this group ASAP. I see a lot of interesting titles. Too bad I missed so many before I even knew this wonderful DU world existed.

[freshwest]

13. I hope you enjoy this group. Looks like you have a very busy life, too. Enjoy the day.

[IrishAyes]

14. Retirement?

I'd always heard of time dragging on people's hands. Now it seems I work at home almost as much! But the glory of it is that I don't have a job to lose, and I do what I choose (not always quite the same as what I want) when and where w/o so much as anyone's leave. If I find myself glued to a book all night long, who's to complain? Certainly not the dogs, just so they get fed and taken in and out when they want. The kitchen and bathrooms must be kept extra clean, of course, and in the spring and summer, my yard and garden own me . Other than that, I'm almost free as a bird.

[politicasista]

15. Paging Smiley and West

*crickets* *crickets* *crickets*

[Jamaal510]

16. Every time

I see Cornell West, I always wonder 'when is the last time he got a haircut?'

Instead of holding a grudge with Obama over not being invited to the WH, his time would be better put to use in the barber's chair. And he should go see a dentist, too, while he's at it. I'm sure he can afford to with the amount of money that he makes.

[freshwest]

18. Agreed. He's got a perennial case of:

[politicasista]

19. Exactly.

Get hair cut and teeth fixed, man. He had that same look when he spoke at my alma mater's commencement 15 years ago.

He seemed cool then, but he has sold himself to the devil. It's a dang shame he let massive, bitter ego get in the way of real progress.

[freshwest]

17. Hi politicasista! And you're right, the merchants of misery never acknowledge anything good.

[politicasista]

20. Hi freshwest!

"Merchants of misery" is a perfect description.

As imperfect as some things are, something is better than nothing rather than all or nothing.