Nearly one-third of the state’s population will be on Medicaid in three years if ObamaCare is upheld by the US Supreme Court, state officials said.
ObamaCare Will Push 1 Million NYers into Medicaid
Nearly one-third of the state’s population will be on Medicaid in three years if ObamaCare is upheld by the US Supreme Court, state officials said.
The number of New Yorkers covered by the program could skyrocket by 24 percent, raising the number of those collecting benefits to 6 million from the current 5 million, which includes 3 million in the city.
Medicaid is paid for by federal, state and local governments, and New York’s program costs a total of $53 billion now.
State officials say the reason for the expected surge is clear: the federal Affordable Care Act, which requires citizens to obtain health insurance or face financial penalties.
The law is being challenged in federal court, and the US Supreme Court will determine next year whether it’s constitutional.
Officials project that the mandate — and attached penalties — will prod large numbers of people who qualify for Medicaid but never bothered to sign up, to do so.
The huge increase was mentioned deep in Gov. Cuomo’s 76-page midyear budget report, released last week.
“The number of Medicaid recipients . . . is expected to exceed 6 million at the end of FY [fiscal year] 2015, an increase of 24.4 percent from the FY 2011 caseload of 4.8 million,” the report said.
Even before federal health-care reform, New York’s Medicaid rolls surged — by 700,000 since 2009, or 14 percent — due to the sluggish economy, officials said.
State officials insist the increased Medicaid caseload is manageable because the federal government has agreed to pick up about 90 percent of the costs of new enrollees.
“Our financial plan is able to absorb most of the population growth in Medicaid,’’ said Cuomo budget spokesman Morris Peters.
“The federal government is reimbursing the state for most of the costs. Because of the enhanced reimbursement from the feds, it doesn’t have a financial hit on the state budget.”
Albany’s share is now $21.1 billion, going up to $23.9 billion in three years.
State Sen. Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican, disagreed with Peters’ optimistic projections that the state won’t have much of a problem paying for the Medicaid increases.
Golden said if the mandate is approved by the high court, it would mean a “significant increase’’ in the amount of money both Albany and local jurisdictions will have to pay.
“We have a $53 billion Medicaid budget [including the federal contribution, and we’re adding 1million people?’’ he said. “Who’s going to pay? The taxpayers.’’
New York has aggressively pushed to make it easier for people to qualify for Medicaid over the past decades as part of a policy to promote health care for all.
While swelling the Medicaid rolls advances universal health care, the increase presents potential budget challenges for Cuomo, who has made it a priority to rein in escalating costs in the program.
Cuomo and the Legislature agreed to a cap that limits Medicaid’s annual growth to 4 percent, and implemented other changes this year recommended by a gubernatorial task force.
Some health-care experts said Albany’s projected increase in Medicaid enrollment is overly high because it assumes that all 1.1 million people eligible for Medicaid will sign up.
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Thank goodness.
Now we just need to extend that and medicare a little more and everyone will be covered.
goooood
we need universal healthcare, we are the last first world country to not have it!!!
KN
Are you kidding me, 1 and 2? Do you want to further bankrupt the country, or do you just not care as long as you’re getting benefits?
I Love Bob Grant
Are you kidding me #3? How many of your friends and neighbors are on Medicaid, Food Stamps, WIC, Section 8?
Isn’t that bankrupting the country? Maybe tell the CH community, especially Chabad Dark, to get off the government checkbook.
‘Work’ is a four letter word for some yidden.
DaasTorah
Baruch Hashem! We are closer to universal coverage for everyone than ever before. This is a good thing.
token boy
Who’s the token black kid?
Mendy hecht
#4, I agree, but it’s not Chabad. It’s not Williamsburg.
It’s… EVERYONE.
What’s really needed if you want a real solution is to make all these programs one thing: TEMPORARY.
You don’t have insurance? Great! Here’s Medicaid–For two years (let’s say).
You don’t have food? Great! Here’s Food Stamps–for 12 months.
etc.
After all that, it expires. And you can’t get it again.
That would force you to use the buffer-zone time to get back on your feet and get your insurance and food sources back in order.
Everyone needs a little help sometimes. SOME of the time, that is. Not ALL of the time.
That’s why I’m a Republican.
To #4
If the blacks do it why shouldn’t we?
DeClasse- Intellectual
Some people have forgotten about the hidden costs of Obama care. It takes money out of Social Security to pay for it, it llimits you choices and option in getting voerage and medical assistence, it gives free medical treatment to illegal aliens, it calls for medical rationing and mandiates necessary end of life consuling sessions for those some bureaucrat to determine if any one has the right to live. And, let us not forget it takes more money out of our wallent which goes to pay for all this mess that will turn this country into socialized medicine which has been a proven failure and will have more government interference in every aspect of oour life.