Gov. Jindal Explains the Failures of Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion

Gov. Jindal had an excellent piece in Politico Magazine about Obamacare's failures. There's a lot in there (read the whole thing), but the one that sticks out is his observation that the President's signature healthcare law prioritizes health coverage for able-bodied adults over seniors and those with disabilities.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in 2012 more than half a million seniors and people with disabilities on state Medicaid lists were awaiting access to home and community-based services. Prompt access to these services could keep individuals with disabilities out of institutions, which are often more costly.

Yet Obamacare provides states with a much greater federal Medicaid match — 100 percent for the first three years, phasing down to 90 percent over time — to cover previously ineligible low-income individuals. According to the Urban Institute, nearly five in six adults to be covered under the Medicaid expansion are adults without children, most in their prime working years.

In other words, rather than start with the neediest and cover them first, Obamacare's Medicaid expansion goes to other groups. Coincidentally (Gov. Jindal is too nice to say it in his piece, but I will), those are groups that Democrats are most interested in luring to the voting booth.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 11:20 AM

| Access Comments