Most health foundations in states with federally facilitated health insurance marketplaces breathed a collective sigh of relief after the King v. Burwell Supreme Court ruling, which retained the availability of federal subsidies for health insurance coverage. In Maine, where 89 percent of people in Marketplace plans qualified for subsidies, this ruling ensures that individuals and families can keep affordable health plans and promotes stability in our private insurance market—at least in the short term.
As King v. Burwell recedes in the rear-view mirror, health funders need to focus our collective attention on the next set of fundamental threats to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) nascent successes.
- Medicaid Expansion Not in Every State: Maine is one of twenty-one states that have not expanded Medicaid, and that leaves a significant coverage gap in the state for lower-income adults, many of whom are working people with no access to employer-sponsored coverage. Like many other health foundations, the Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) provides grants to support our state’s navigators and certified application assisters.
We regularly hear about the frustration and heartbreak when navigators find the person they’re helping falls below the income threshold for the ACA subsidy. Every day, they cope with the tears and shattered hopes of lower-income people whose only option for affordable coverage is through Medicaid. National and local funders need to support robust advocacy efforts and policy research that motivates businesses, hospitals, and public officials to support Medicaid expansion in every state.
Read the full report here.
Contact Steven G. Cosby, MHSA, Group Health Insurance Broker and Agent with Cosby Insurance Group, with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.
