Campaign Promises

Departments -> Health & Human Services -> Medicaid


ItemHealth & Human Services
MedicaidGrade
HE-38 The Promise: "Expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP [State Children's Health Insurance Fund] programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan to Lower Health Care Costs and Ensure Affordable, Accessible Health Coverage For All, dated 10/03/08.
Source: http://courses.ischool.berkeley.edu/i202/f08/lectures/Obama_Healthcare-1.pdf
Status:The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (H.R. 2) expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) over the period CY2009-CY2014. President Obama signed this Act into law on 02/04/09. The SCHIP was further reinforced under the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010 (H.R. 4994) signed by President Obama on 12/15/10.

The Medicaid eligibility expansion part of this promise was kept by inclusion of $87B for this purpose in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 of 02/17/09.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Public Law 111-148) signed into law by President Obama on 03/23/10, Medicaid was further expanded starting in CY2014 for individuals "who are under 65 years of age, not pregnant, not entitled to, or enrolled for, benefits under Part A of Title XVIII, or enrolled for benefits under Part B of Title XVIII....and whose income...does not exceed 133 percent of the poverty line...".

In CY2011, however, additional Medicaid assistance provided by the government to states ran out. Consequently, more than half of the states reduced payments to health providers, 23 lowered spending on prescription drugs, and 20 restricted coverage of other services.

Nonetheless, expanding eligibility for Medicaid became a reality when the ACA Act was fully implemented starting in CY2014.

This promise was fulfilled.
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