In Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley, a physician, said in his annual address last month that Medicaid expansion carried costs he doubted the federal government or his state could afford. Medicaid accounts for more than one-third of Alabamas budget, the states costliest service after education, and it would have to grow larger to comply with the health-care law. One of Mr. Bentleys constituents, 27-year-old Tanisha Fields, who is uninsured, arrived at University of Alabama at Birminghams flagship hospital on a recent evening for treatment after a miscarriage. Hospitals are obligated to treat emergency room patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Ms. Fields, who has a 4-year-old son, earned about $7,000 last year working at a cleaning service. That is too little to qualify for federal help buying coverage in new health-law marketplaces, and too much for coverage in Alabamas Medicaid program, which has an income ceiling of $2,832 for a family of two, after deductions. If Ms. Fields could buy insurance for $50 a month, she said, I definitely would. Yes, a single parent with one kid making $2,833 a year in Alabama, after deductions, is making too much money to get Medicaid coverage for herself. Thats something even the WSJ seems horrified by. Welcome to the club.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 18:50:45 +0000
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