The Affordable Care Act is expanding and has many implications on Americans of all ages. Here are some of the implications regarding Medicaid.

1. Medicaid Expansion
The Affordable Care Act is expanding and has many
implications on Americans of all ages. Here are some of the
implications regarding Medicaid. As part of the Affordable
Care Act, the largest expansion of Medicaid is set to take
place since the beginning of the program when it was
implemented as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s
program the “Great Society.” This expansion of Medicaid is
designed to cover millions of more individuals and provide
affordable health insurance for those who are considered
among the poorest in the country.
This expansion of Medicaid is contingent upon the
participation of the state. As part of the Supreme Court of
the United States of America’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act, the court found that requiring the
states to fund the Medicaid expansion in tandem with the federally expanded funding, was
unconstitutional. However, the Supreme Court did uphold the law and did not strike this portion or all
of the law down because they allowed it to be an opt-in / opt-out situation. States would be allowed to
choose to participate in the Medicaid expansion by contacting the Health and Human Services Secretary
of the United States of America and notify the secretary of the intentions of the state.
Through Congress
Congress attempted to sweeten the
proposition to the states by largely paying for
all of the expansion for the first few years.
With each passing year, the percentage the
state was to shoulder would be expanded and
the federal government’s share would
diminish. Within a moderate amount of years,
the state would be responsible for a majority
of the new spending. Many states did not wish
to participate for political or budgetary
reasons.
Most states that opted out of the new Medicaid expansion had Republican governors or Republican
dominated senates or House of Representatives. These individuals were strongly opposed to the
Affordable Care Act and wished to either repeal the act or strongly reform it. Consequently, they chose
not to participate in the program. Other states who did not participate cited significantly constrained
budgets due to the economic downturn from the late 2000s.

2. Individual States
After running the numbers, these states did not believe they could afford the expansion when the state
would shoulder in coming years the financial burden currently borne by the federal government. For
those states that do opt in to the Medicaid expansion, individuals will be able to find Medicaid a
consumer driven health plan, as the cost of participation will be significantly outweighed by the benefits
of coverage. The healthcare benefits of Medicaid enrollees are well documented. Those who have
enrolled in Medicaid previously have found that the
health insurance benefits allow them to access
doctors and emergency rooms with great
frequency.
Studies have shown that those in the same
economic class of people will access hospitals and
healthcare providers at significantly different levels
contingent upon the access to Medicaid. Those
with Medicaid use the healthcare system many
times more than those without Medicaid, when all
other factors are largely held constant.
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