Post by Logan on May 2, 2016 21:43:26 GMT -6
Maryland seeks federal OK to speed ex-inmates' Medicaid access
Seeking to slash the red tape that prevents former prisoners with chronic health ailments, mental illness or drug addiction from getting health coverage, Maryland has proposed giving thousands of newly released inmates temporary Medicaid membership, with few questions asked.
The measure, described as the first of its kind in the nation, would help close a care gap that arises when sick inmates leave jail or prison care but have trouble getting coverage and treatment after they get out, advocates say.
Maryland expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, making nearly all former prisoners eligible for the state and federal health insurance program for low-income people. But enrollment bottlenecks have kept Maryland and other states from signing up more than a fraction of the people leaving incarceration.
The state wants the federal government to approve a streamlined sign-up process that would give two months of Medicaid membership to released inmates who declare basic information such as residency and citizenship status. After two months, they would need to fully enroll, providing proof of identity and demonstrating income eligibility.
Read more: www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-hs-medicaid-exenstion-for-ex-offenders-20160502-story.html
Seeking to slash the red tape that prevents former prisoners with chronic health ailments, mental illness or drug addiction from getting health coverage, Maryland has proposed giving thousands of newly released inmates temporary Medicaid membership, with few questions asked.
The measure, described as the first of its kind in the nation, would help close a care gap that arises when sick inmates leave jail or prison care but have trouble getting coverage and treatment after they get out, advocates say.
Maryland expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, making nearly all former prisoners eligible for the state and federal health insurance program for low-income people. But enrollment bottlenecks have kept Maryland and other states from signing up more than a fraction of the people leaving incarceration.
The state wants the federal government to approve a streamlined sign-up process that would give two months of Medicaid membership to released inmates who declare basic information such as residency and citizenship status. After two months, they would need to fully enroll, providing proof of identity and demonstrating income eligibility.
Read more: www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-hs-medicaid-exenstion-for-ex-offenders-20160502-story.html