Survey: States Progress On Medicaid Upgrades, But Much Remains To Be Done

According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, states are hustling to prepare for coverage changes whether or not they participate in the health law's expansion. 

Politico: States Hustle To Modernize Medicaid
Whether states accept or reject the Medicaid expansion under the health law, they've got plenty of work to do to get ready for big changes in coverage next year. And as of Jan. 1, 47 states had grabbed or requested bonus federal dollars to upgrade their aging Medicaid enrollment systems, according to a state survey released Wednesday from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (Millman and Smith, 1/23).

Modern Healthcare: Much Work Remains On Medicaid Upgrades, Survey Finds
States have made progress in implementing Medicaid upgrades required by the 2010 federal health care overhaul but much work remains to be done, according to an annual survey of all 50 programs. Only about 20 states have indicated that they expect to expand their Medicaid programs' eligibility to all residents with incomes of up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, as authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, said Diane Rowland, executive director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. The Supreme Court's 2012 decision upholding the law eliminated financial penalties for states that do not undertake the expansion. All states are required to implement upgrades to their systems by next year, but relatively few have completed these, according to her group's 12th annual survey of the states (Daly, 1/23).

Earliler, KHN coverage: Report: States Making It Easier To Apply For Medicaid (Galewitz, 1/23).