Study: Some current Medicaid enrollees may not qualify for benefits that newly enrolled will get

Jul 10 2013

George Washington researchers find that key preventive services included in the health law and slated for millions who will get coverage in the law's Medicaid expansion may not be extended to people already covered by Medicaid.

Politico: Study: Some On Medicaid Lose Out Under Obamacare
As millions of low-income adults gain access in just a few months to Medicaid coverage under Obamacare, those already in the program could be shut out of some of the key preventive services included in the law. And the new enrollees could have a hard time actually getting a doctor. Those are the findings of two Health Affairs studies published Monday (Millman, 7/8).

Bloomberg: Twist In U.S. Health Law May Create Two-Tiered Medicaid
Colonoscopies, diabetes screenings and other preventative services mandated by the U.S. health law may be offered only to new Medicaid program enrollees next year, leaving existing patients with second-tier care, a study found.  Excluding people already in the Medicaid program for the poor may penalize a population more prone to chronic conditions, researchers from George Washington University said in an article published today in the journal Health Affairs (Adams, 7/8).

Stateline: Current Medicaid Patients Miss Out On Better Preventive Care
A hallmark of President Obama's health law is that it requires insurers to cover early detection and disease prevention services at no cost to the patient. The new preventive care guidelines are intended to improve overall health, reduce the number of preventable deaths and lower costs. But some of the nation's unhealthiest people -; 25 million low-income adults who already qualify for Medicaid -; aren't likely to receive those benefits, because the requirements in the Affordable Care Act pertain only to private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid expansion programs (Vestal, 7/8).

NBC News: Health Reform May Leave Big Gaps In Medicaid Coverage – For Some, Survey Finds
The healthcare reform law may be specific about what health insurers have to cover starting in 2014, but there's a group that's left out – people already covered by Medicaid in many states, researchers reported on Monday. Whether your Medicaid coverage will pay for basic preventive services such as colon cancer screening or vaccines depends on what state you live in, the team at George Washington University found (Fox, 7/8).

And in other Medicaid news -

CQ HealthBeat: Medicaid-CHIP-Exchange Rule Draws Concerns from Patient Advocates
A final health law regulation -; dubbed by some the "cats and dogs" rule for its wide-ranging scope -; is raising concerns among policy analysts over provisions relating to Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and insurance exchanges. The 606-page regulation punted on some matters that stakeholders were waiting for. The rule did not include a final word on a certified application counselor program in the new marketplaces, which will start to enroll consumers on Oct. 1. Other provisions that were not finalized include those affecting appeals processes in the new marketplaces and how they would be coordinated with Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, the simplification of Medicaid eligibility categories and other provisions affecting CHIP (Adams, 7/8).