What’s In A Name - Everything

[GailL1]

“.. . . when Medicaid was created in the 1960s lawmakers did not include work requirements because it “never dawned on anybody that able-bodied people who work would be on Medicaid.”   CMS Administrator Dr. Oz Mehmet

Now, we are asking these ABLED-BODIED Medicaid beneficiaries to either work 80 hours a month or volunteer or take care of a low income needy loved one or go back to school in order to preserve their ACA Expanded Medicaid benefits.  

In listening to CSAN’s Washington Journal this morning during the open forum call in - I could not believe the people that are scared to death they would be losing their MEDICAID benefit even though they are on the program by being a low income elderly, blind, or disabled, a low income child, a low income pregnant woman and then the newborn for at least a year in most states (maybe in all by now).  They will not - 

I get so tired of our legislators confusing the ignorant public with this ”name” recognition of similarities and they do it on purpose.

From all the different MEDICAID programs with different eligibility standards to the confusion in similar words like Medicare / Medicaid or the SSA programs of disability - Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income.

All they have to do is name them differently somehow and teach the public the differences in eligibility and benefits. We have underhanded politicians who choose to confuse the masses to their own selfish political stance.   Do not give them this power - 

Yes, there are states that are covering their illegal immigrant populations under their MEDICAID programs.  These states say that they are paying for this themselves and don’t rely on Federal funds for this purpose but the concept is against Federal law period.  Personally I wonder how are they financially covering them?  

Could they be using the extra coverage payments from the Federal government for the ACA Expanded Medicare Program to help in this expenses?  

Yes, that is right, our Federal government pays MORE for the ACA EXPANDED MEDICAID program which covers ABLED-BODIED low income folks than it does for those Medicaid beneficiaries that are low income elderly, blind, disabled, children or pregnant women and newborns - several percentages more.  I understand that this was done as an incentives for states to EXPAND their Medicaid program for this abled-bodied group - otherwise the states may not have done it and it was an important part of the ACA when passed and initiated.  The eligibility standards for this group of EXPANDED Medicaid recipients is different than the old standing program of Medicaid which encompasses the low income elderly, blind, disabled, children, pregnant woman and newborns.  In some states this is called MAGI Medicaid - because it relies only on a person’s tax return and  ountable income and amount.  Assets really don’t count in this group like it does in the old standard program.

So you be the judge - just make sure that you have the truth of exactly who is the target of this Medicaid change.  It is NOT the low income elderly (65 and over), blind, disabled (not SSI or SSDI), children or pregnant women or newborns - the old standard definition of the Medicaid program including Long Term Care or Home and Community Base Services waivers.