December 15, 2014
By Virgil Dickson,
Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has announced his alternative pathway to expand Medicaid in the state with a unique voucher program for low-income employed individuals. He also announced a surprising partnership with hospitals to help fund the expansion.
[…]The plan gives an employed individual making under 138% of the federal poverty level the option to volunteer to receive a health insurance voucher to help participate in an employer’s health insurance plan. The voucher can be used to pay for premiums and other out-of-pocket expenses associated with participation in an individual’s employer-sponsored private market plan.
That voucher provision is “the one issue that gives me pause a bit,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families, a research center focusing on health insurance issues for families and children. “The question is when someone chooses to go into employer-sponsored coverage, will their Medicaid benefits and cost sharing protections be protected?”
For the rest of the article is available here.
