Seema Verma, who heads up the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says the federal health law should not have opened Medicaid to nondisabled adults because it “stretched the safety net” and imperils care for those who need it.
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Official Says Medicaid Expansion Not Sustainable Without Changes
Medicaid, the federal-state health-insurance program, was never designed for low-income but able-bodied adults and is unsustainable without major changes, a top Trump administration health official said Thursday. “One of the major fundamental flaws in the Affordable Care Act was putting in able-bodied adults into a program that was designed for disabled people,” said Seema Verma, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, who oversees Medicaid as well as implementation of the ACA, popularly known as Obamacare. “It stretched the safety net and it jeopardizes care for the individuals that the program was originally intended for.” (Radnofsky, 11/9)
CQ:
West Virginia Could Close Children’s Health Program
West Virginia could close its Children’s Health Insurance Program as early as February if Congress does not act soon to renew federal funds for the program. The state’s CHIP board of directors voted Wednesday to close enrollment on Feb. 28, 2018, if funds are not provided before then. If needed, notifications with additional information will be sent to families and providers in early January, but benefits would continue as usual until the end of February. (Raman, 11/9)
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