Feds reject Ducey’s bid to limit Medicaid coverage, charge poorest Arizonans
Federal officials have rejected a bid by Arizona lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey to require Medicaid recipients to work and to limit their lifetime coverage to five years.
In a letter Friday to state officials, Andrew Slavitt, the acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said such limits would “undermine access to care and do not support the objectives of the program.”
Slavitt also rebuffed the state’s attempt to impose a charge on recipients who earn less than the federal poverty level.
But his agency did agree to permit a fee of up to 2 percent of household income on those who are above the poverty level — $20,160 a year for a family of three — but still eligible for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program. For that same family of three, the cutoff is $27,820.
Read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/09/30/feds-reject-duceys-bid-to-limit-medicaid-coverage-charge-poorest-arizonans/