Posted on August 24, 2011 10:27
Categories: Medicaid | Legislative and Regulatory Issues
Topics: Health Care Reform | Medicaid | Regulation
On July 22, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an analysis, finding that legislation (S. 1376) amending the income calculations used to determine health reform benefit eligibility will prevent fewer than one million individuals from accessing Medicaid. Under current law, health reform does not include Social Security benefits as income when determining eligibility for Medicaid or subsidized coverage through the law’s health exchanges. The new bills would count Social Security as income, reducing eligibility and saving an estimated $13 billion over 10 years.
From the report:
S. 1376 would, beginning in 2014, include all Social Security and Tier 1 Railroad Retirement benefits as part of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) for purposes of determining eligibility for certain Medicaid applicants and subsidies for health insurance purchased through the new health insurance exchanges to be established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, Public Law 111-148). Under PPACA, the nontaxable portion of those benefits will be excluded from MAGI for such eligibility determination.
Full report: S. 1376: A Bill to Conform Income Calculations for Purposes of Eligibility for the Refundable Credit for Coverage Under a Qualified Health Plan and for Medicaid to Existing Federal Low-Income Assistance Programs (PDF | 33 KB) 
Congressional Budget Office. (2011). S. 1376 A bill to conform income calculations for purposes of eligibility for the refundable credit for coverage under a qualified health plan and for Medicaid to existing federal low-income assistance programs. Minicozzi, Alexandra.
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