Many Poor Blacks in the South will Remain Uninsured

• Published in: Chicago Citizen Vol. 49; no. 4
• Main Author: Allen, Freddie
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, Ill Chicago Weekend 16.04.2014
• Subjects: African Americans; Health insurance; Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act 2010-US; Uninsured people; Southern states

The Obama administration planned for nationwide^xpansion of Medicaid, the health insurance program that covers the poor and disabled, setting the Medicaid income eligibility at 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or roughly $27,000 for a family of three. In June 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that states could decide whether they want to expand Medicaid. According to the Kaiser Commission, more than half of states, a majority in the southeast, decided not to expand Medicaid. That decision created a coverage gap affecting 27 percent of uninsured adults. According to the Kaiser Commission brief,"...With many states opting not to implement the Medicaid expansion, millions of adults will remain outside the reach of the ACA and continue to have limited, if any, option for health coverage: most do not have access to employer-based coverage through a job, few can afford coverage on their own, and most are currently ineligible for public coverage in their state."