AARP Report: Millions of Low-Income Adults Can’t Get Medicaid; So What’s the Answer?
Source: AARP Press Center | 2008-09-12
September 12, 2008
Contact: Jim Dau, AARP, 202-434-2560, jdau@aarp.org
A new report from AARP released today looks at why millions of low-income adults cannot get Medicaid and what can be done about it. The report will be released at a panel taking place on Capitol Hill sponsored by AARP and the Alliance for Health Reform.
The report from AARP’s Public Policy Institute outlines key policy options for improving Medicaid coverage for low-income adults. Current federal law prohibits Medicaid from covering adults—no matter how poor—unless they are pregnant, caring for dependent children, severely disabled or elderly.
“The major misconception is if you’re poor Medicaid is available, and that’s just not true,” said Susan Reinhard, head of AARP’s Public Policy Institute. “This lack of coverage hits adults 55-64 years old especially hard. We must encourage more discussion of potential solutions to help millions of low-income adults afford basic health care. This report highlights a number of possible fixes.”
Policy options to help low-income adults include expanding the Medicaid program with additional federal assistance; allowing Medicaid to cover all individuals below a certain income level; and allowing flexibility for states to include others in Medicaid.
A recent study cited by the Alliance for Health Reform shows that almost 16 million uninsured adults age 18-64 have a chronic illness. Those without a way to pay for care have limited access to physicians; others use hospital emergency rooms when their untreated conditions worsen and become catastrophic. According to most analysts, unmanaged chronic illness is a source of inefficiency in our system and contributes to the high cost of care.
The report, “Millions of Low-Income Americans Can’t Get Medicaid: what Can Be Done?” was written by Stan Dorn of the Urban Institute under commission to AARP.
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