Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has announced a plan to grow Medicaid, but not "expand" it, under Obamacare, but only if the White House accepts a series of reforms he has proposed.
They include eliminating most co-pays but having enrollees pay a monthly premium of up to $25 for an individual and $35 for a family. The unemployed also would be required to attend mandatory job training or participate in job-search programs to qualify for a reduction in premiums.
In addition, Corbett wants Medicaid benefits to match more closely what someone would get from a private insurance policy,
Politico reports.
Those who are considered medically frail would qualify for traditional Medicaid under the governor's plan.
"We cannot afford to expand the current Medicaid program," said the Republican governor said while speaking at a Harrisburg hospital Monday. "It is an entitlement that is unsustainable."
Corbett's Medicaid expansion is similar to those passed in Iowa and Arkansas this year,
The Huffington Post reported.
Corbett does not think his proposals fall under the category of traditional Medicaid expansion.
"This would not be an expansion of Medicaid," he said. "Instead, because of the savings achieved through reform, this would give individuals real choices in coverage option in the private-insurance market."
The plan that would insure 520,000 in Pennsylvania still awaits approval from the state legislature and the federal government.
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