In order to qualify for the state's Medicaid program, a nonelderly adult must earn no more than 19 percent of the federal poverty level and must have a dependent child. Elderly and disabled people must earn no more than 85 percent of the poverty level, according to the report.
The state has the option of changing its eligibility requirements to cover people earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but Republican legislators rejected the idea, citing concerns about the fiscal instability that could result from adding more people to the program, according to the report.
Many of the state's low-income residents below the poverty line of $11,490 for an individual and $15,510 for a couple don't qualify for Medicaid but don't earn enough to qualify for federal subsidies to help cover the cost of purchasing coverage through the new exchanges either, according to the report.
Some healthcare experts have told Kaiser low-income people in states that don't expand Medicaid can still get federal subsidies by projecting their 2014 income to at least the federal poverty level — $11,500 per person or $23,500 for a family of four. However, some consumer advocates have said they wouldn't encourage people to do anything that might seem like defrauding the government.
More Articles on Medicaid Expansion:
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