Work Requirements in Medicaid Will Harm State Economies
Proposed national Medicaid work requirements could eliminate up to 449,000 jobs and shrink state economies by as much as $59 billion in 2026 alone, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund and the George Washington University. The report provides state-by-state estimates of projected coverage losses and economic harm if Republicans in Congress were to enact a proposal to impose a nationwide Medicaid work requirement for adults who gained coverage through Medicaid expansion. The analysis also estimates the effects of a separate proposal to reduce the federal funding match for the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program.
Federal Funding Cuts Threaten Community Health Centers
More than 31 million Americans receive care through community health centers, or CHCs. These outpatient clinics provide low-cost, high-quality medical services to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. Largely funded through federal grants and Medicaid, CHCs have long enjoyed support across the political divide, write the Commonwealth Fund’s Celli Horstman and Corinne Lewis on To the Point. But recent federal and congressional actions, including cuts to federal funding and proposed cuts to Medicaid, have reduced investment and put CHCs’ operations, and patients’ well-being, at risk. Greater investment in CHCs — not less — is what’s needed, the authors say.
Proposed Rule May Reduce ACA Marketplace Enrollment
A proposed federal rule would limit enrollment opportunities in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans and increase red tape — potentially causing up to 2 million people to lose coverage in 2026. On To the Point, Georgetown University researchers explain that the rule would shorten the open-enrollment period from 76 to 45 days, eliminate the monthly special-enrollment period for people with low income, and require additional paperwork to prove eligibility. While some state-based marketplaces have expanded their enrollment timeframes, the new rule would require all state marketplaces to adhere to the more restrictive federal standards.
Adults under age 65 who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid represent 7 percent of Medicare enrollment and 5 percent of Medicaid enrollment. What share of all Medicare and Medicaid program spending do they account for?
3% of Medicare spending/2% of Medicaid spending
8% of Medicare spending/6% of Medicaid spending
13% of Medicare spending/10% of Medicaid spending
19% of Medicare spending/15% of Medicaid spending
Scroll down to see if you got it right.
Funding Cuts Would Impact Training at Health Centers
The Atlantic recently explored the impact that a reduction in federal support for residency training would have on a federally qualified health center in Alabama that provides prenatal and preventive health care to underserved communities, including rural ones that would otherwise struggle to staff local labor and delivery units. Transforming Care reported on innovative ways that health centers have expanded access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries and identified strategies for enhancing access to maternity care in rural markets.
Charting a Path Through a Troubled Legacy
As the American Medical Association’s first chief equity officer, Dr. Aletha Maybank guided the institution through a difficult reckoning with its past exclusion of Black and women physicians. On The Dose podcast, host Joel Bervell asks Maybank about how she did it and why she has hope that other American institutions can evolve into places that serve all of us.
When private equity firms buy your local hospital, your primary care doctor’s office, or your local nursing home, they profit. But what happens to those health care institutions, the patients they serve, and the people who work there? On The Dose podcast, Dr. Zirui Song, an expert on private equity in health care, discusses how private equity maximizes profits and the efforts underway to protect patients and communities.
The answer is C. Dually eligible beneficiaries under 65 account for 13 percent of all Medicare program spending and 10 percent of all Medicaid program spending.
More than a third of the 12.8 million Americans dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid are under age 65, and many have multiple chronic conditions complicated by low income, food insecurity, housing instability, and other social factors that can exacerbate their health problems. In a Commonwealth Fund issue brief, Barbara Lyons and Jane Andrews share insights on policy priorities and reform options for facilitating health care access, care coordination, and plan choices for younger dual-eligible adults.
Affordable, quality health care. For everyone.
The Commonwealth Fund, 1 East 75th Street, New York, NY 10021
